Can't Run From The Past Forever
by Half-Demon-Isa
Summary: Kaoru have been running from her past for four years.  While traviling with Megumi all over Japan, the come across a small town.  Will Kaoru have to face her past alone, or will her new friends help her all the way? KenshinXKaoru SanoXOC AoshiXMisao
1. Chapter 1

This idea popped into my head and I thought it would be a great story, and since I already have an Inuyasha story out, I thought it would make a good Rurouni Kenshin one.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters, although I might make up a few to mach the story. I will tell you now, Megumi and Sano do not get together. I'm sorry to those who like the SanoXMegumi, but this is not one. There will be one main character I will make up, and she will be with Sano. In this story, Megumi way to old for Sano, although I'm thinking of putting her with Hiko. Lol. That will be interesting. If you think I should, leave some reviews and we'll see what happens. Hope you like it!

""

_A girl, of the age of 13, turned the corner of the hall way sharply. She saw a flash of silver glide across the side of her face, a small cut appearing on her cheek. She skid to a stop and looked at the knife that was now imbedded in the wall in front of her._ _She made a loud_ _yelp_ _as she fell to the floor, a sharp pain in her side. She curled_ _up into a ball, letting out small gasps every time he kicked the same spot. He bent over and_ _picked her up by her hair, making the girl let out another loud yelp. He dug her to the living room and threw her agents the_ _television,_ _making in break under the force. The girl let out a loud scream and fell to her knees._

"_Please stop! I'm sorry! Daddy please!" She yelled to the man in front of her, but he didn't listen. He picked up the empty beer bottle off the table and hit her upside the head with it, a piece of glass digging into the side of her head._ _She let out another scream. The man raised his hand once again to hit her, but heard a small gasp behind him. He lowered his hand and turned around, seeing his current girlfriend standing in the entrance of the living room._

"_M-Megumi…" The man's eyes widened at the sight of her. Megumi's eyes were watching him, then they shifted to the little girl on the floor._

"_Koshijirō__…Wh-What are you doing?"_ _The man's eyes narrowed._

"_She deserves it. She disobeyed my orders." Megumi's eyes turned back up to the man in front of her._

"_That doesn't matter! You have no right to beat her! No matter what she does, she's not some pu…" But she never got to finish her sentence. The man slammed_ _the back of his hand across her face. Megumi stumbled_ _back_ _then looked at him in shock._ _"You…slapped me…" The man chuckled and grabbed the little girl by the hair once again. The girl let out a small scream. Megumi glared_ _at him. "Let her go!" She grabbed the man by the shoulders and kneed him in the groan as hard as she could, making him let go of the girl. "Run!" She yelled as the man fell to his knees holding himself._ _The girl nodded and_ _got up fast, running to the front door. The girl reached for the door knob, but stopped when she heard Megumi scream. The girl turned back and ran into the living room, jumping on her father's back._

"_Damn brat!" The mad yelled, grabbing onto her ripped sleeve and pulled her over his shoulder. She landed_ _on the floor in front of him, as well_ _as landing on_ _broken pieces_ _of glass from the television._ _She let out a loud scream as the glass dug into her back. Megumi got up off the floor and pushed the man over, pulling the girl to her feet. She grabbed her arm and pulled her to the front door. She thrust the door open and rushed the girl outside, closing the door behind her and the girl forever._

""

Kaoru shot up from the hotel bed with a loud gasp. She looked around the room sharply, looking for the man she ran away from for so many years. She let out a deep sigh, looked over at the bed on the other side of the night stand. Megumi continued to sleep soundly. Her eyes darted over to the clock on the nightstand. _`7:30,'_ she thought. She threw the covers off her and made her way over to the bathroom. She turned on the hot water and closed the door. She looked at herself in the mirror, and then turned her head to the side to look at the scar on the side of her forehead. _`It's been four years since Megumi and I got away.'_ She poked her head out of the bathroom and looked at the woman that has been like a mother to her since that very day. She let a small smile creep on her face, as she closed the bathroom door once again. She looked back at her self in the mirror. Those four years have changed her deeply. Her 13 year old shoulder length hair had grown so long, it reached her lower back. Her young scared eyes were now a beautiful sapphire blue that were now happy. She let another smile come on to her lips, and then turned to the shower. She placed her hand under the water, checking its temperature before shredding her clothes the stepping into the shower.

For four years she had been running away from her past. Megumi and she have been traveling across Japan from hotel to hotel, running from the man that had changed both their lives. When she had first met Megumi, she really didn't like her all that much, but since that very day, she could trust Megumi with her own life. Megumi and she were very close. She was like a mother to her, yet an older sister at the same time. They would do many things together. They didn't have a home. Their home was the road. They would stay at a hotel every three days, a week if they weren't ready to move yet. They had pulled tons of money out of Megumi's account so they could travel. They would pull money out of Kaoru's, but since she was not 18 yet, the account was still under her father's control. She just hopped that he hadn't deleted the account.

A few minutes later, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body and grabbing a brush off the bathroom counter, brushing the tangles out of her hair. She stepped out of the bathroom and looked at the clock that now read 7:58. _`Megumi will be waking soon,'_ she thought as she pulled jeans, underwear, a bra, and a T-shirt out of her bag. The sound of the hotel clock alarm went off. She turned to see Megumi sitting up with her arm reaching to turn the alarm off. Megumi looked at her and smiled. Kaoru returned the smile and set the clothes on her bed.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?" Megumi asked with a yawned. Kaoru's smile dropped and she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I had the same nightmare," She replied. Megumi's smile dropped and she sat on the side of the bed. "I've been having it for three weeks now. Could if be a sign? What if my dreams are trying to tell me he found us and he's coming?"

"Kaoru, don't worry about it. It's been four years since. We're safe." Megumi picked out some clothes from her bag and made her way to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a quick shower. Then we'll get some breakfast and be out on the road again." Kaoru smiled and nodded.

"Don't expect the hot water to last!" Kaoru yelled as Megumi entered the bathroom.

""

Kaoru leaned agents the wall and crossed her arms, waiting for Megumi to check out of the hotel. When she saw Megumi round the corner, she pushed herself off the wall.

"Ready to go?" She asked. Kaoru nodded and they headed for the door. "I asked him where the next nearest hotel is and he said it's going to be a 12 hour drive. He also said it's a pretty small town, so it shouldn't be crowded," she said as the moved their way to her car. Megumi and Kaoru arrived at the Honda and put their stuff in the back seats. Megumi got into the driver's seat and started the car, waiting for Kaoru to get into the passenger's seat.

Kaoru finally got the last bag in then closed the door, opening the front door and getting in beside Megumi. Megumi locked the door, and then pulled out of the parking lot. Kaoru began to flip through the stations. She finally arrived to one playing `I'm Ok' By Christina Aguilera. She flinched at the words and changed it fast, turning off the radio. Images of her nightmare flashed through her mind. Megumi looked over at her out of the corner of her eye, and then turned her eyes back to the road.

"You alright?" Kaoru nodded and rest her head on the window.

"Fine. Just a bit drowsy I guess." She replied. Megumi nodded and continued down the road. Kaoru's eyes began to drift shut, slowly falling into a light sleep.

""

"_Kaoru, this is no time for you to back down. If you like the guy, go for it!" A girl, with beautiful golden brown hair with many different brown highlights and bright emerald green eyes, said while_ _pushing_ _herself off the wall and sitting next to the girl on the steps. Kaoru sighed and looked up at the clouded sky._

"_It's not that simple. If he liked me, he'd ask me himself. Besides, isn't it supposed to be the guy who asks the girl?" Kaoru turned and looked at the person beside her. The girl sighed and fell back onto her back._

"_Yes it is, but you know him! I mean really. He'll never make the first move." Kaoru sighed and leaned onto the palm of her hand._

"_Yeah you're probably right." The girl smiled and sat up._

"_I always am," She replied. Kaoru scowled and gave the girl a slight shove._

"_Shut up." The girl laughed and fell back to the porch. Rain began to fall from the sky and over the two girls. Both girls smiled. Kaoru got up and walked out into the rain, closing her eyes and looking up, letting the rain fall over her face. The girl watched her for a few seconds before getting up and standing next to her._

"_Hey Kaoru, lets run." Kaoru looked at her and smiled._

"_Alright. Race you to the café!!" With that, she took off down the side walk, the girl running after her, and the rain soaking the both of them_

""

Kaoru woke up and blinked a few times. _`Who was that girl? I've never seen her before.'_ She looked out the window and saw that they had stopped. She looked around and found Megumi no where in sight. She tensed up and got out of the car. She looked around and saw that they were parked by a café. She pulled her cell from her pocket and looked at the time. _`2:15.'_ She put it back in her back pocket and opened the door back up. She dug through her purse for a pen and pulled a piece of scrap paper from under the seat. She wrote a quick note to Megumi stating that she'd be out walking around and would come back as soon as possible. She placed the note on the seat and locked the door before closing it. She headed down the side walk, looking at her surroundings.

After a while of walking, she came to a park. She smiled and looked around. It seemed quiet and peaceful. Suddenly, she had the urge to run. Giving into the urge, she started to jog down the trail that leads into the park. She then broke into a sprint, the trees passing her fast. She felt so alive. It happened so fast, so fast, she barley had time to react. She had run smack dab into someone else. She sad up and held her head. _`Ow…that really hurt…'_ She looked at the person she had run into. The girl grunted and sat up, holding onto her head. It was a girl about her age that had long beautiful golden brown hair. She blinked a couple of times. The girl opened her eyes and looked at her.

"I am SO sorry!" She got up and held her hand out to her. Kaoru took her hand and let the girl pull her up. She looked at the girl and smiled.

"It's alright, It was probably my…" Kaoru stopped in mid sentence and looked at the girls eyes. They were a bright emerald green. _`It can't be…'_ The girl looked at her weird. _`It is!!'_ Kaoru's mouth fell open. It was the same girl that was in the dream she had only hours ago.

""

That's all for now, people. I think I started out pretty good. In just came in the main girl I made up, which is also the same on that ends up with Sano. You'll find out more about her in the next chapter. Hope you liked it! Review please!!

_~H*D*I~_


	2. Meeting New People

Chapter two Baby

Chapter two Baby!! Oh yeah!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters, although I might make up a few to mach the story. I will tell you now, Megumi and Sano do not get together. I'm sorry to those who like the SanoXMegumi, but this is not one. There will be one main character I will make up, and she will be with Sano. In this story, Megumi way to old for Sano, although I'm thinking of putting her with Hiko. Lol. That will be interesting. If you think I should, leave some reviews and we'll see what happens. Also, Yahiko is older in this story. He's not like…11, 12, or how old he is. Lol. Hope you like it!

""

Kaoru continued to stare at the girl. She was in total shock. It had to be the girl from her dream. They had the same emerald colored eyes, the looked about the same height, and they both had beautiful golden brown colored hair. The only difference was the girl in her dream's hair was down, and this girl had her hair up into a tight messy bun. The girl placed her hands on her hips in an annoying manner.

"Ok. If there is something on my face, I'd like it if you told me because you're really annoying me by looking at me that way." Kaoru blinked.

"Oh sorry. I guess I kinda spaced there for a second." She held out her hand. "I'm Kaoru Kamiya." The corner of the girl's lips turned up as she took Kaoru's hand and shook it lightly.

"I'm Kayko Hiko," she said back. "I've never seen you before. Are you new around town?" Kaoru nodded.

"Yeah. I probably won't be staying long. I'll most likely leave here in a couple of days." Kayko tilted her head to the side with a confused look on her face.

"Why?"

"I move around. I never stay in a place longer then a week." Kayko continued to look at her confused, but didn't press the subject.

"I see. Well since you won't be here for very long, why don't I show you around? You can meet some of my friends!" She smiled big. Kaoru giggled and nodded.

"Alright, but later you'll have to help me find my friend, Megumi. She travels with me and when I woke up she had disappeared." Kayko nodded and hooked arms with her.

"Will do, now follow me. I'll show you the place where everyone hangs out," and with that she pulled Kaoru off and back into town.

""

The two girls rounded the corner and walked up to a café. _'It's the café from before,' _Kaoru thought. She looked over and saw her car. It didn't look like Megumi had gone back to the car yet. Kaoru felt a small pang of fear go threw her. What if her dreams had been a sign and her father found Megumi? Kayko looked at her and tapped her shoulder gently.

"Hey Kaoru, you ok?" Kaoru turned her head and looked at her.

"Yeah…I'm just wondering where my friend is." She pulled her phone from her pocket to check for miss calls and the time. She had no missed calls and the time was 3:18. She sighed and turned her attention back to Kayko. "So is this café where you hang out?" Kayko smiled and nodded.

"Yup! Maybe Sano's here and you can meet him and maybe Kenshin!" Kaoru giggled and followed the girl into the building. They entered the place and Kaoru looked around. It was a cute café. It wasn't too small, nor was it too big. It had a soft tan color for the walls and the floors looked like dark mahogany. There were small booths in the corners and by the windows while small square tables, that could fit four people, were placed in the center of the place. It also wasn't too crowded. It looked like a quiet and peaceful place. "You like?" Kaoru turned to Kayko and smiled.

"It looks real peaceful," she replied. Kayko smiled and grabbed her by her upper arm, pulling her to a booth by the window. They sat across from each other and waited for someone to come take their order.

"So what brings you to a small town like this?" Kayko asked.

"A hotel from another town. Like I said before, I move around a lot." Kayko nodded.

"Why do you move around so much?" Kayko asked, looking over the small menu. Kaoru shifted in her seat a bit.

"Um...I'm not quite sure I'm comfortable talking about it yet. Not meaning to sound rude, but I met you only a few minutes ago and I-…"Kayko raised a hand and smiled.

"I completely understand. We'll talk about something else." Kaoru smiled and looked back at the menu.

"Oh thank god!" Both girls looked up to see a girl with long black hair that reached to her bottom, tied up in a braid, with bright ocean green eyes, walking toward the two. Kayko smiled and gave a small wave.

"Misao!" Misao came and sat next to Kayko, setting her purse on the table.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! There's a rumor going around that there are two new people in town. I wanna see 'em!" She turned her head and looked at Kaoru. Kaoru raised an eye brow. Misao watched her for a second before exclaiming, "Hey! She's one of the two, isn't she?" Kayko laughed before nodding.

"Misao, this it Kaoru Kamiya. Kaoru, this is my friend Misao Makimachi." Kaoru and Misao shook hands.

"Nice to meet ya! Where'd ya come from?" Misao asked, taking the menu from Kayko's hands, which earned her a small glare from Kayko. Kaoru giggled lightly on the look on Kayko's face and handed her the menu she had.

"I came from a hotel. I don't live in a specific place," she replied. Misao looked up from the menu and looked at her.

"You don't? Why?" Kayko tapped Misao's shoulder and shook her head. Misao nodded and turned her attention back to Kaoru. "Never mind. So how long are you staying?" Kaoru shrugged. Kayko set the menu down and laid her head on the palm of her hand.

"I probably won't stay to long. I'll probably be here about 3 days, week tops." Misao made a small pout face.

"Why not stay longer?" She asked, setting her menu down on the table. Kaoru shrugged again.

"I never stay in a place longer then a week. I just love to be on the road." Misao nodded, understanding what she was saying.

"I know what you mean. I used to be on the road all the time, looking for this guy that's real special to me. I came here and decided to stay. I love it here. Although I do leave every once in a while. I also keep my ears and eyes open for the guy." Misao smiled. Kaoru smiled back. Kayko opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when hearing Kaoru's name being called. Kaoru looked over and saw Megumi walking toward her. Her smile widened as Megumi grew closer.

"Where have you been? I've looked everywhere for you!" Megumi said once she reached the three. Misao and Kayko turned to her, before looking back at Kaoru.

"Where have I been? Where were you? You just left me with no note." Megumi looked at her feet and twiddled her thumbs.

"I'm sorry Kaoru. I saw an old friend of mine and didn't think. You know you could have called me." It was Kaoru's turn to be embarrassed.

"To shay..." They both laughed. Kaoru turned to Misao and Kayko. "Megumi, theses are some people I met. This is Misao and that's Kayko," she said, pointing to who is who. Megumi smiled and sat down next to Kaoru. "Girls, this is my friend, Megumi." The three shared smiles and shook hands.

"What ever Kao has said about me, it's not true." Kaoru giggled. Kayko smiled.

"It's alright. She didn't say anything bad, except the fact you left her in a car alone," Kayko replied. Megumi giggled.

"I usually don't do that, but I saw Tae and just couldn't help it," Megumi replied. Kayko blinked.

"You know Tae?" Misao asked. Megumi nodded.

"No surprise there, Tae knows like…everyone," Kayko said. "This is her restaurant." Megumi nodded.

"Yes, she did say she now owned a restaurant," Megumi said. The three continued to talk about different things. Kaoru watched them for a while, feeling a bit left out. She turned her gaze to look out the window. She watched the cars and families pass. She smiled to herself. She watched as a man and a woman walked by, their finger's laced together. Her smile dropped a bit. She always wondered what it was like to love. She wouldn't know of course. She always seemed too distant herself from men because of her father. She never even had a boyfriend! Kaoru sighed and turned back to the three girls that were engaged in conversation. Her smile came back. Megumi looked like she was having fun.

The door to the café opened, loud yells following after. The four girls, along with the other people in the café, turned their attention to the door. A boy about the age of 15 with spiky black hair and chocolate eyes was running toward them. A man about the age of 19 with brown eyes and hair that resembled a rooster, which happened to be neon green, was running after him.

"I swear it wasn't me!! I promise!" The boy yelled, jumping into the seat and hiding behind Kayko. The man stopped and glared at him.

"DON'T you lie to me! My hair is green! GREEN!" The four girls covered their mouths, holding back the urges to laugh. Kayko raised a finger.

"Actually," she said, still trying to hold back her laughter," its neon green." The man glared at her.

"YOU are not helping Kayko! He dyed my hair!" Kayko sighed and turned her attention to the boy.

"Yahiko, why did you dye his hair green?" Yahiko, the name Kayko called him, began to twiddle his thumbs.

"Well…you see it was for a good reason…" The man's yells interrupted him.

"GOOD REASON!? WHAT REASON DO YOU HAVE FOR MY HAIR BEING GREEN!?" Kayko turned to the guy and held her hand up. Yahiko and the man looked at her.

"I will handle this Sanosuke…" Kayko looked at Yahiko once again. "Now Yahiko, I will ask again. Why did you dye Sano's hair neon green?" Yahiko went back to twiddling his thumbs. "AND…Why did you do it without me!?" The man, Kaoru guessed was Sano, looked at Kayko with big eyes.

"KAYKO! You're not supposed to take his side you're supposed to be on my side!!" The four girls couldn't hold it in anymore. They all broke out laughing. Sano glared at them all.

"You all think this is funny?" Misao nodded.

"Actually yes Sano, it is funny." She answered. Sano glared at her and crossed his arms.

"Forget you all. I'm going home and I'm going to see it I can find a way to get the GREEN out of my hair," Sano said, glaring at Yahiko once more before turning around and walking to the exit. The girls laughed again and Misao got up.

"Well I'll see you all later. I'm gonna go see if I can go help the rooster get the color out of his hair." Misao waved and grabbed her purse, following after him. Yahiko waited till Sano was out of sight before relaxing. Kayko popped him on the head.

"OW! What was that for!?" He yelled, glaring at her while he rubbed the back of his head. Kayko shook her head.

"You shouldn't have dyed his hair green. You know that's my job and not yours." Kaoru and Megumi giggled. Yahiko pouted and crossed his arms. He looked at Kaoru and raised an eye brow.

"Who's the hag that looks like a raccoon?" Kaoru looked at him in shock. _'Is he talking about me?' _Kayko popped him on the head again. "Ow! What?!" He yelled at her. She glared at him.

"This is Kaoru and Megumi. They're new in town," she answered. Yahiko rolled his eyes. Megumi shook her head and got up.

"It was nice meeting you, but we really need to go. We have to check into the hotel we're staying at." Kayko looked at her and nodded.

"Alright then. I'll see you two tomorrow right?" She asked, looking at the both of them. Megumi shrugged.

"Maybe," she looked at Kaoru," If Kaoru wants to. She's usually the one who likes to stay in." Kayko looked at Kaoru. Kaoru smiled and nodded.

"Sure. We'll see you tomorrow." Kayko smiled.

"Great! Here are my number and my house address," she said, pulling a pen out of her pocket and wrote them down on a napkin. Kaoru smiled and took it from her. "Come over about 9. I'll be up by then," she said. Kaoru nodded.

"Alright. See you then." She got up and her and Megumi headed out and back to the car.

""

WHOOO! That took forever to do! I kept getting writer's block. Lol. I hope you liked it. I'll try and update soon! Review!

HDI


	3. Kayko's Morning

Chapter three

Chapter three! Yes!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters, although I might make up a few to mach the story. I will tell you now, Megumi and Sano do not get together. I'm sorry to those who like the SanoXMegumi, but this is not one. There will be one main character I will make up, and she will be with Sano. In this story, Megumi is way too old for Sano, although I'm thinking of putting her with Hiko. Lol. That will be interesting. If you think I should, leave some reviews and we'll see what happens. Also, Yahiko is older in this story. He's not like…11, 12, or how old he is. Lol. Hope you like it!

In this chapter…it's gonna be sort of cool. It's gonna be the last few chapters, but in a different view. I'm not gonna rewrite both chapters 1 & 2, just a small part from the beginning of the second in a different person's view. When I'm done with that, I'll go back to Kaoru.

""

_The 10 year old girl screeched in pain as her father smashed a vase over her head._

_"You stupid bitch! I told you to never talk back to me in front of people!" The man yelled pulling the girl up by her hair and throwing her into the wall. She sat up and glared at him._

"_Shut up you old man! You ain't the boss of me!" She yelled back. Right as the words left her mouth, she wished that she could take them back. Her father's eyes blazed with anger. He launched himself at her, missing her by a few inches as she darted up the stairs._

_"Get back here you skank!" He yelled running after her. She ignored his yells and continued up, sprinting toward her room once she reached the top. She ran into her room and closed the door, locking it. She ran to her dresser and pushed it until it was agents the door. She sat back on the floor and took a deep breath, thinking she was finally safe. Oh how wrong was she. She leaped up and screamed when she heard a loud bang on the door, making the dresser fall forward. _

_Her eyes widened and she bolted for the closet. She closed the door behind her and hid in the dark corner in the back. She held her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. _'Please don't let him get me, please don't let him get me,'_ she begged in her head, wishing the banging would stop. Her eyes snapped open when she heard her bed room door bust open. She pushed her self closer to the wall, hoping that her dad would just give up and leave her alone. Suddenly her closet door was swung open. She let out a loud scream._

_""_

Kayko woke up with a start, gasping loudly and holding the covers close to her chest. She looked around her room franticly, letting out a sigh in relief to find she was the only one in there. She let her arms relax and leaned back agents the head board, closing her eyes. _'It was only a dream, ´_ she thought. Her eyes snapped open when she heard her bedroom door open.

"Kayko! Are you alright? I heard you screaming in your sleep," her foster father said worriedly (A/N: I wonder if you people can guess who this is…). Kayko smiled and nodded.

"Yes Hiko. I'm fine, just another dream." Hiko frowned. He walked over to her and sat on the side of her bed.

"I thought you said you stopped having those dreams," he said, watching her closely. Kayko smiled a bit.

"I did. I just have them every once in a while. It's nothing. I promise." Hiko watched her for a second before nodding.

"Alright. If you say so." He got up and walked to her door. He grabbed onto the door knob and turned to her. "Don't stay in bed. I need you to go shopping for food. Kenshin is coming over tonight." Kayko nodded and giggled lightly to herself, listening as he mumbled bad things about his apprentice as he left the room, closing the door behind him. Kayko sat in bed for a few minutes before getting up and heading to her closet.

She pulled out a par of blue jean shorts and a white tang top. She threw them on, pulling a blue jean jacket over and slipping on her tennis. She walked into the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom and grabbed the brush off the counter, brushing the tangles out of her hair and pulling it up into a tight messy bun. She put on a bit of eye liner and a tad of mascara. She glanced at herself in the mirror and smiled. Satisfied with the way she looked, she left her room and headed down stairs.

She walked into the kitchen to find Hiko sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the paper. Kayko raised an eye brow at him.

"Oi. When did you start drinking coffee…and reading the paper?" She asked. Hiko smiled and set the cup down, putting the paper beside it.

"I don't, I thought it would make me look more sophisticated." They both laughed. Hiko got up and grabbed his jacket and keys. "I'll be back later. I have something to do. Kenshin will be over around seven." He kissed her forehead and headed for the door. "Stay safe!" He yelled, closing the door behind him. Kayko rolled her eyes and made her a bowl of cereal.

""

Kayko walked down the side walk, three grocery bags on each arm and two in each hand. She was so bored! She had shopped for food and was now heading back home. Of course she wouldn't go home straight away. She'd stop by Misao's real fast. Misao always tended to sleep through her alarm and wake up late, so she asked Kayko to come by and wake her up if she wasn't up by ten. She checked her watch. It read 10:32. She smiled and head off to Misao's house.

""

"Misao!" Kayko yelled, banging on her front door. "Damn it Misao! Open the fucking door!" Kayko banged her fist harder on the door. Suddenly the door thrust open.

"Could you be any louder?" Asked a grungy Misao, who was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Kayko smiled.

"It was time for you to get up, and the spare key is missing. I had to bang on the door." Misao groaned.

"Damn Sano, took my house key. I'll kill 'em later," She yawned. Kayko snickered. Misao moved a side, allowing Kayko to walk into her house. Kayko set the groceries on her table and leaned agents the counter. Misao walked in a few minutes later, still looking half asleep. Kayko grabbed an apple off the counter.

"What do you plan on doing today?" She asked, taking a bite out of the apple. Misao moved to the cupboard and grabbed a cup, walking over to the sink and filling it up.

"I'm gonna leave for a couple of hours. I heard news of a man with dark hair and icy blue eyes in the town just a few miles from here. I'm gonna go check it out." Kayko rolled her eyes. Misao had been looking for this guy named Aoshi who had hair as dark as the night sky and cold blue eyes. She said she was so called in _love_ with this guy.

Kayko always scoffed at the thought. Men were pigs. The only men she ever trusted were Hiko, Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko. Any other guy she felt like they were gonna grope her or something. She knew that some won't, but she still keeps her guard up. Misao yawned again and put her glass in the sink.

"I'm gonna go get dressed and head out. See you later?" Kayko smiled and nodded.

"Alright. I'm gonna go out for a run and probably head to the café after that. Maybe stop by Kenshin's for a while, too." Misao nodded her head.

"Cool. I'll see if I can meet you at the café." Kayko nodded.

"See ya Misao!" She yelled, picking up her bags and walking out the door. Misao yelled bye back as the door closed.

""

"Kenshin! Open the damn door! I know you're ignoring me!" Kayko yelled, banging on Kenshin's front door. She had already dropped off the groceries at the house, and didn't feel like running, so she decided to stop at Kenshin's. She knew he was awake, he always wakes up around 7 or 8, she never knew. Kayko banged on the door louder. She laughed lightly to herself when she heard his dog, Buddy, barking on the other side. Finally the door opened.

"Ok alright! You win! What do you want?" Kenshin asked, his hands waving in front of him. Kayko smiled and skipped past him and into his house. He sighed and closed the door behind her.

"Just wanted to come by and hang out for a bit," she answered, plopping down on his couch. Buddy jumped up next to her and laid down, his head resting on her knee. She smiled and began to pet him. Kenshin stood in front of her and crossed his arms. "So why didn't you let me in at first?"

"I was afraid your foster father was with you. He's been bugging me all day, in and out of here. I'm tired so I just decided to lock him out," he smiled. Kayko laughed lightly.

"Ha ha…funny. I do that to him, too when I'm up in my room while he annoys me." Kenshin smiled.

"Did you hear? There are some new people around. Sano called me earlier to tell me. He said he's gonna stop by Yahiko's and then they are gonna go off and look for them." Kayko rolled her eyes. Those two just loved to be the welcoming comity. Misao will want to as well, when she finds out about them. Kenshin made his way to the kitchen.

"No I haven't heard of them. Who are they?" She asked, getting up and following after him, Buddy following shortly. Kenshin grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee.

"Dunno. You'd have to ask Sano or Yahiko. They're the ones who go around trying to find the new people." Kayko nodded her head in agreement. They did do that quite often. "So what does your dad want me over?" He asked, leaning agents the counter drinking his coffee. Kayko shrugged.

"The hell if I know. All he told me was buy food, Kenshin's coming over...then started mouthing off how bad of an apprentice you are…" Kayko crossed her arms. Kenshin shook his head.

"That man has some problems." Kayko laughed and nodded once again.

"You're telling me! I came down stairs and saw him reading the paper." Kenshin laughed and shook his head.

"That's crazy." Kayko snickered.

"Well I'm off. I'm going running," she said, patting Buddy on the head. Kenshin set his cup on the counter and followed her to the door. He gave her a quick hug. "See ya later."

"See ya Kayko," he said back, closing the door behind her.

""

Kayko sprinted through the park. She loved running. It was one of her most favorite things to do, besides partying. She loved to party, but running was more fun. She was always in track in high school. Always won, too. The only other people that could run faster then her were Sano and Kenshin, but other then that, she was unbeatable. She smiled and closed her eyes and let her running consume her. _'Gah! That hurt!'_ She sat up and rubbed her head. _'Nice going Kayko.'_ She sighs and opened her eyes, looking at the girl she had run into.

""

I think this was a short chapter. I'm not quite sure, but it feels like one. I'm just happy I finished. Lol. Hope you liked it.

H.D.I


	4. Meeting Kenshin

Chapter four baby

Chapter four baby! Oh yeah! I'm on fire!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters, although I might make up a few to mach the story. I will tell you now, Megumi and Sano do not get together. I'm sorry to those who like the SanoXMegumi, but this is not one. There will be one main character I will make up, and she will be with Sano. In this story, Megumi is way too old for Sano, although I'm thinking of putting her with Hiko. Lol. That will be interesting. If you think I should, leave some reviews and we'll see what happens. Also, Yahiko is older in this story. He's not like…11, 12, or how old he is. Lol. Hope you like it!

Guess what people! Two people meet in this chapter. Can you guess who? Yup yup! Kaoru and Kenshin finally meet! Yay! Kaoru also gets to know everyone a little better. Megumi also meets Hiko in this chapter.

""

_Kaoru screamed loudly as she flew into the living room, her head hitting the side of the couch roughly. She clinched her eyes in pain, tears falling from her eyes like rivers. She jumped up when she saw her dad grab for her again. She ran from the living room and to the stairs. _

_She began her way up, but fell, hitting her chin on a step, when her father grabbed her leg and pulled her down. She cried out as he brought a knife and cut her arm with it. He pulled her up the stairs by her foot and threw her to wall. He brought his leg up and started kicking her in the side, making her fall to the floor._

"_Daddy please stop!" Kaoru yelled out, covering her head with her already bruised and cut up arms. Her dad ignored her and continued to kick her. He grabbed her arm roughly and tugged her to her room. He tossed her onto the bed. She screamed in horror and tried to get off as fast as she could. _'No No No! Not again No!'_ She yelled in her head. Her father grabbed her and pinned her down._

_"Now be a good little girl and let daddy have his fun," he said, laughing loudly. She screamed and tried to get away, but her father just held her tighter._

_"Daddy please don't!" She screamed once again, but he ignored her. She screamed loud when she felt her clothes leave her body._

_""_

Kaoru woke up with a start once again. She had another dream. She covered her face, feeling freshly wet tears on her cheeks. She had been crying in her sleep. She got up out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She turned on the sink and started to splash the water onto her face.

"Kaoru?" She turned her head sharply. Megumi was leaning agents the bathroom door frame with her arms crossed. "Hun are you alright?" She asked, pushing herself off and walking over to her. Kaoru nodded and looked down at the sink.

"Yeah…just another dream…" Megumi looked at her sadly.

"Kaoru, you've been having these dreams for weeks now. You need to talk about it…"

"Megumi I don't want to talk about it!" Kaoru snapped, looking at her sharply. "I'm used to them! It's not a problem! I'm fine! Just leave me alone!" She turned her head and looked back down at the sink.

Megumi stood there in shock. Kaoru had never yelled at her before. She also used to never be so closed up with her. She had always told her everything, no matter what the problem was, she would always come and talk to her. Now she was shutting her out, like she was just some person that she had just met.

"Um…o-ok then…I'll just, go get dressed and go visit Tae…" Megumi turned to leave the bathroom. She stopped real quick and turned her head. "Don't stay in. Go out and try to have fun…" Kaoru ignored her and continued to look at the sink.

""

Kaoru was sitting on the hotel bed, a book open in her lap. She was so consumed in her book, she couldn't hear the footsteps coming down the hotel hall. She jumped, the book falling from her lap and onto the floor, when she heard a knock on the door. She picked up her book and got up. She marked her place and set the book on the bed, walking over to the door. She looked into the little peep hole. She blinked in confusion and opened the door.

"Hey!" Kayko smiled. Kaoru blinked at her.

"Um…hi?" She moved a side and let Kayko in. She closed the door and Kayko strutted over to the bed, sitting down on the edge.

"Nice room," she said, looking around then at her. Kaoru blinked.

"Um…how did you find the hotel I'm in, and my room?" Kaoru asked. Kayko laughed.

"It's a small town, hunny. There's only one hotel. All I had to do was go to the front desk, ask for you and there ya go." She smiled. Kaoru blinked and sat by her.

"Oh…" Kayko smiled and leaned back on her hands.

"So you gonna stay cooped up in here all day or are you gonna come out and hang with Misao and me? You did promise you would hang out with me again today," she said smiling. Kaoru blinked more.

"U-Uh….I-I..."

"Great! We're meeting in the park!" Kayko grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the door.

"But but…"

"Ah come on," Kayko stopped and looked at her. "Live a little. Don't stay here. Get to know people. It'll be fun." Kaoru stood there for a second, then put on her shoes and followed Kayko out the door.

""

"I got her people!" Kayko yelled, walking to the small gathering, Kaoru in tow. Misao jumped up and skipped over.

"Yay! You came!" She yelled hugging Kaoru tightly. Kaoru blinked in shock before slowly hugging back.

"I was kinda brought agents my will…" Misao giggled.

"Yeah, that's Kayko." Kayko glared at her and made her way over to Sano.

"Hey there Jou-chan!" Sano yelled, waving to Kaoru. Kaoru looked at him and raised an eye brow. _'Jou-Chan?'_ Misao giggled and pulled her over. There were only a few people. There was Kayko, the first person she had met yesterday, who was sitting on one of the benches. There was Sano, one of the guys she had met yesterday, who was sitting next to Kayko, his arms around her shoulders. There was Yahiko, the other guy she had met, who was lying on the ground with his arms behind his head. There was Misao, an overly hyper active girl she had met yesterday, who was standing next to Kayko. Then there was a girl she didn't know. She looked about Yahiko's age. She had short black hair and big brown eyes. She was sitting next to Yahiko.

"Come here Kaoru," Kayko said, snapping Kaoru daze. She came foreword and stood next to Misao. "This is Sano and Yahiko, you met them yesterday," Kayko said, pointing to Sano and Yahiko. "And this is Tsubame," she said, pointing to the girl next to Yahiko. Tsubame smiled and gave a small wave. Kaoru smiled a bit and waved back slightly. Kayko smiled. "Our friend Kenshin will be coming here soon. You'll love him. He's a great guy." _'Great, more guys,'_ she thought. She sat down next to Tsubame and listened to everyone talk, drifting off in her own thoughts.

"Hey ugly! You gonna sit there all day like a space cadet?" Kaoru snapped out of her thoughts and look at Yahiko.

"Excuse me?" Yahiko sat up and looked at her.

"Don't tell me you're deaf, too! Or are you just stupid?" Kaoru looked at him in shock.

"Yahiko!" Kayko, Misao, and Tsubame yelled.

"What!? She's the one sitting there spaced out like an idiot." Kaoru glared at him.

"Well excuse me for getting caught up in my thoughts!" She yelled getting up and putting her hands on her hips. Yahiko raised an eye brow.

"You have thoughts? You just looked like an idiot…" Kaoru's mouth dropped open.

"Yahiko cut it out!" Kayko yelled.

"What?!" Kaoru slapped him. Everyone froze and looked at her. Yahiko blinked and touched his cheek, looking up at her slowly. Kaoru glared down at him.

"People like you are the reason why I never get out and why I don't like people!" She turned sharply and started to walk off. Yahiko just sat there gapping at her. Kayko jumped up and ran after her.

"Kaoru wait!" Kaoru turned around and pointed a finger at her.

"No! I'm going back to my hotel room and staying there! Don't follow me and leave me be!" With that, she turned back around and stomped off.

Kayko turned and glared at Yahiko. "Yahiko you freak look at what you did!?" She yelled. Yahiko looked down at the ground. Kayko grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him up. "Now she'll never come and hang out with us again!" Yahiko looked at her.

"Sorry ok! You know how I am! I couldn't help it!" Kayko sighed and dropped him.

"Yeah yeah. I'm gonna go get her and bring her back, you better say you're sorry." Yahiko nodded and sat back down next to Tsubame.

""

Kaoru stomped down the side walk with her arms crossed. The nerve of that boy! She barely even knew him and he was insulting her like no other! The little twat! She huffed and stopped, looking around. She didn't know which way to go! She didn't know where the hotel was! She looked around once again. _'I think it's this way…'_ she thought.

She continued down the side walk until she came to a corner. Not paying attention to what she was doing, she crossed the street, not seeing the car heading toward her. She heard a loud honk and stopped, looking down the road. She froze in place, her eyes huge. The car skitted to a halt, stopping just a few inched from her. She recovered slightly and fell back, landing on her butt. She heard the car door open and close. Light foot steps made their way around the car to the front.

"Miss are you ok!?" The guy asked, holding his hand out to her. Kaoru blinked a few times and took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. She dusted herself off a bit and looked at him.

"Yeah I'm fine I was just…" she gasped lightly. He was gorgeous! He had long, fiery red hair that was pulled back into a low pony tail, big, bright, violet eyes, had an X shaped scar on his left cheek, and looked about a few inches taller then her. He blinked at her.

"Miss?" Kaoru shook her head.

"U-Um…sorry. Got distracted. I'm fine." She smiled. He smiled back and held out his hand.

"I'm Kenshin Himura," he said. She smiled and took his hand, shaking it lightly.

"Kaoru Kamiya. I'm new in town." He smiled.

"So you're one of the new people? I was wondering when I was going to run into one of you. Have you met Sano, Yahiko, and Misao yet?" Kaoru blinked a bit.

"I'm not surprised. They tend to be the welcoming comity." Kenshin laughed lightly and she giggled.

"For some reason, I'm not either. They seem like they would be," she said, giggling more.

"Kaoru!" The two turned their head to see Kayko running up. She stopped and looked at Kenshin. "Hey Kenshin." Kenshin smiled at her. Kayko turned her attention back to Kaoru. "I am so sorry about Yahiko. He tends to run his mouth with out speaking and wait a minute when did you two meet?" She looked between Kaoru and Kenshin. Kaoru blushed slightly once again.

"Just now actually," he replied. Kayko raised an eye brow.

"I see." She looked down at their hands. Kaoru looked and blushed darker. They didn't let go when they shook hands. She let go of his hand quick and started twiddling her thumbs, her eyes falling to her feet. Kenshin looked at her for a few seconds, then looked at Kayko. Kayko smiled at him, then looked at Kaoru. "Kaoru come back and hang out with us. I'll make Yahiko say sorry. All you gotta do is ignore him." Kayko put her hands together and gave her the puppy face. Kaoru sighed.

"Ok…I'll come back." Kayko smiled.

"Great! We'll take Kenshin car!" Kenshin looked at her. Kaoru nodded. Kenshin sighed and walked over to his car, getting back into the driver's seat. Kayko opened the back and got in. Kaoru looked at her confused. Kayko smiled and pointed to the passenger's seat. Kaoru blinked and got into the passenger's seat. She looked back at Kayko, then looked forward, sinking into her seat slightly. Kenshin looked at her out of the corner of his eye and started the car back up. Kayko leaned back and smiled to herself. She had a plan.

""

Megumi sighed and twiddled her straw around in her drink. She hoped Kaoru wasn't all cooped up at the hotel. She hates seeing her all alone. Tae looked at her and crossed her arms.

"Megumi quit worrying. Knowing Kayko she probably found the room and drug her out. She's probably fine. Relax a little." Megumi looked at her.

"Yeah you're probably right," she answered, leaning back in her seat. Tae smiled.

"Of course I am…I'm always right." Megumi laughed and took a sip of her drink.

"You said we were meeting someone here. Where is this person?" She asked, taking another sip of her drink.

"The hell if I know. He's never on time." Megumi raised an eye brow.

"You're trying to set me up like you used to in high school…" Tae laughed.

"No of course not!" She exclaimed, looking off somewhere else (A/N: You people know Tae! She's Ms. Match Maker!). Megumi rolled her eyes.

"Yeah sure…" She took another sip of her drink.

"Oh look! There he is!" Tae said, watching a guy walk into the café. The man looked around. Tae waved her hand, trying to get his attention. He saw her and started to make his way over. Megumi looked up at him as he approached. He was a very buff man, had long midnight black hair, dark eyes, and was rather tall. He took a seat next to Tae. "Glad you could make it Hiko." Tae smiled. Hiko gave a small smirk.

"No problem." He looked at Megumi. "This your friend you told me about?" Megumi raised an eye brow and looked at Tae. _'Not trying to set us up huh…'_ She thought. Tae smiled again.

"Yup this is her! Hiko this is Megumi Takani, Megumi this is Seijuro Hiko," Tae said, her smile growing bigger. Hiko held his hand out. Megumi took it and shook his hand lightly.

"Nice to meet you, "he said.

"Pleasure to meet you as well," she replied back, letting go of his hand. Hiko leaned back.

"So Tae tells me you travel around a lot." Megumi nodded.

"I do. I travel with my friend Kaoru. We don't like to stay in town a lot. The latest we'll stay is a week, but no more." Hiko raised an eye brow.

"Why move around so much?" Megumi took another sip of her drink.

"It's a long story." She smiled. He raised an eye brow and nodded.

"How old is your friend Kaoru?" He asked.

"She's 17 about to be 18 in a few weeks," she answered, glancing at Tae who was sitting there with a smile on her face.

"Wow, same age as my daughter, Kayko. She's 17 and is going to be 18 in a few months." Megumi looked at him.

"You're daughter is Kayko? I met her yesterday when I went looking for Kaoru. She's quiet the little talker, as well as Misao." Hiko laughed.

"Yeah that's Kayko and Misao. I imagine that's where your friend Kaoru is right now. With those two. She'll soon be meeting Sano, Yahiko, and Kenshin." Megumi laughed a bit.

"Met Sano and Yahiko yesterday, too. Kenshin I haven't met." Hiko smiled a bit.

"He's a good guy, he's just an idiot. I'm not surprised you met Sano and Yahiko yesterday. They are the welcome comity, along with Misao." Megumi laughed a bit.

"I can see. That doesn't seem such a surprise. I don't think she'll be bored if she's with them," she replied. Hiko shook his head.

"No she will not…"

""

Kaoru laughed and leaned back on her hands. These people sure know how to put on a show! Sano had made a sexual comment about Kayko's chest and now she is chasing him around, Yahiko had insulted Misao by calling her a weasel and she was now beating him on the head with her fist. She looked at everyone and smiled. _'They all seem so care free and happy…'_ She laughed more when Sano hid behind Kenshin and then run off, making Kayko run smack dab into Kenshin. She laughed even more when he made a loud _ORO_ sound as they fell to the ground.

Kayko sat up and glared at Sano.

"Sano you ass! Get back here!" She yelled, jumping up and running after him. Kaoru looked over at Kenshin and giggled. Kenshin shook the swirls out of his eyes and sat up. He started rubbing the back of his head.

"Kayko sure knows how to tackle," he said, making Kaoru giggle more. He turned and looked at her, a smile crossing his face. Misao plopped down between them.

"Damn Yahiko. Calling me a weasel. I'll show him weasel," she grumbled, crossing her arms. Kaoru giggled. Misao smiled at her. "Having fun?" Kaoru smiled.

"A little. You all entertain me." Misao laughed.

"We entertain everyone." Tsubame came over and sat across from Misao.

"I'll say. Kayko and Sano are the biggest entertainment." Misao and Kenshin nodded their heads in agreement. "Where's Yahiko?" She asked, looking around. Misao looked off somewhere else.

"Over there knocked out," Kaoru answered, pointing to the unconscious Yahiko. Tsubame looked at him, then at Misao. Misao smiled. Tsubame smiled and shook her head. She got up and made her way over to Yahiko.

"Misao help me get this rooster!" Kayko yelled.

"Ok!" She replied, jumping up.

"NO!!" Sano yelled. He took off down the side walk, Kayko running after him and Misao following. Kaoru and Kenshin laughed. She turned and looked at him.

"They do that often?" Kenshin nodded.

"Yeah. At least three times a day." Kaoru laughed again.

"Man," she said, "I haven't laughed like this in years." Kenshin looked at her.

"Why? You have a nice laugh." Kaoru blushed and sat up straight.

"It's a long story. Thanks for the complement though," she said, smiling at him. He smiled back.

"So how long are you gonna be in town?" He asked, leaning back on his elbows. Kaoru shrugged.

"I don't know. It won't be longer then a week, though." Kenshin raised an eye brow.

"Why?" Kaoru sighed.

"It's a long story," she answered, looking at him. He blinked for a second before nodding, dropping the subject. "So how old are you?" She asked.

"28," he replied. She looked at him with huge eyes. _'28!? He barely looks a day or 18!'_ She thought. Kenshin raised an eye brow. "What?"

"You're 28?" He nodded.

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"No no! It's just you don't look it. You look like you would be turning 19," she answered. Kenshin laughed.

"Yeah I get that a lot." She blushed. He raised an eye brow at her. "You sure do blush a lot." He smiled a bit. She blushed more and looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Well I'm not used to talking to guys. I avoid them a lot because of my past." She gasped and covered her mouth. She hadn't meant to give him so much information about her! Kenshin sat up straight, looking at her confused.

"Did you have a bad past with boyfriends or something? Maybe a family member?" Kaoru's eyes widened. Her head shot up sharply and she glared at him.

"Do you always ask about people's past or are you just annoying?" She snapped at him, crossing her arms and looking off somewhere else. Kenshin blinked his eyes in shock. He had just asked a question, he didn't mean to offend the girl.

"Um…I didn't mean to offend you, I was just asking. You don't have to tell me…" he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned and glared at him sharply.

"You shouldn't have asked in the first place," she replied, shoving his hand off her shoulder and getting up. She turned and stomped out of the park for the second time that day, leaving a confused Kenshin watching her walk off.

Yahiko walked over to Kenshin, rubbing his head. "What was that about?" He asked, looking at Kenshin as Tsubame came up next to him. Kenshin blinked again before turning to look at Yahiko.

"I'm not quite sure. I asked a question and I guess I offended her." Yahiko snorted and sat down next to him.

"I think she's just a bitch."

"Yahiko!" Tsubame yelled at him, taking a seat next to him. He jumped a bit and looked at her.

"What? She is!" Tsubame shook her head at him.

"She probably just new to people talking to her and so she doesn't know how to react," she answered, crossing her arms. Yahiko rolled his eyes.

"Hey guys where's Kaoru?" Kayko asked as she ran up. Yahiko looked at her.

"She left. OW!! What was that for!?" He yelled, rubbing his head. Kayko glared at him.

"You ran her off again didn't you!?" She yelled back, crossing her arms. Yahiko shook his head.

"No I didn't! Kenshin did!" He answered, pointing at Kenshin who was looking the way Kaoru stomped off to.

"ORO!" He yelled, holding his head where he had been hit. Kayko glared at him.

"What did you do!?" She yelled, putting her hands on her hips. Kenshin rubbed his head and looked up at her.

"I didn't say anything. I asked a question and I guess it offended her." Kayko blinked.

"What did you ask?" She asked, taking a seat next to him.

"I asked why she blushed so much and she said that she wasn't used to being around guys because of her past. I asked her if she had a bad past with a boy friend or family member and she flipped out on me," he answered, resting his hands in his lap. Kayko blinked and leaned back on her hand. _'Bad past huh..?'_ She thought. _'I'll have to find out more about this girl. Maybe she had an abusive father too…'_

_""_

Kaoru walked down the side walk, thinking about her conversation with Kenshin. _'Maybe I shouldn't have snapped at him. After all he didn't know what happened to me.'_ She sighed and stopped walking. _'I probably made him upset anyway. He won't listen if I say sorry…daddy never did…'_ She flinched a bit at the thought. She looked around and groaned. _'I'm lost again! I thought they said this was a small town? Shouldn't I be able to find my way around?'_ She thought. She was to busy thinking of where to go she didn't hear the car drive up next to her.

"Hey there pretty lady…" Kaoru jumped and looked at the guy in the car. He gave her a wolfish grin. "Need a ride? I'll be glad to give ya a lift…" he said slyly, looking at her up and down. Kaoru's eyes widened and she backed away from the car a bit.

"U-Uh…n-no thanks. I'm fine thank you," she answered quickly, making her way down the side walk once again. The guy wouldn't give up that easy. He drove the car slowly next to her.

"Come on. I ain't gonna hurt ya, just wanna give you a little lift." Kaoru stopped and turned swiftly. She glared at him.

"Look buddy. I don't want a ride. I'm fine with walking," she bit out, turning back around and heading down the side walk again. The guy glared at her. _'Damn horny guy. Its guys like him that make me hate men as well,'_ she thought. To busy thinking, she didn't hear the car stop, or hear the guy get out of it. She yelped when she felt someone grab her arm. The guy turned her around roughly and pulled her to him. Her eyes widened fearfully.

"Hey! I don't like to be denied. Now shut your smart ass mouth and get in the car," he yelled, jerking her to the car. She shook her head no and started trying to get her arm free.

"No let me go! I don't want to go! Let me go now!" She yelled, hitting him on the arm, trying to get him to let go. He turned and glared at her, making her freeze. She looked up at him slowly.

"Shut up you stupid bitch!" He raised his hand to slap her. She clinched her eyes closed, waiting for impact.

"Yo! There a problem here?" The guy lowered his hand and turned around, his grip still tight on Kaoru's arm. Kaoru opened her eyes and looked around the guy, a bit smile coming across her face.

"Sano! It's you! (A/N: Bet you thought it was Kenshin or Kayko) " Sano smiled at her. The guy looked between the two.

"Hey there Jou-Chan. This guy bothering you?" He asked. Kaoru nodded, but the guy shook his head.

"No. No problem here. Just asking the girl if she wanted a ride…" the guy said, letting go of Kaoru's arm. Kaoru hurried around the guy and over to Sano, standing behind him. Sano smiled.

"That's not needed. I'll take her home. You continue on your way." The guy glared at him, but said nothing. He got back in his car and drove off. Kaoru sighed in relief. She looked up at Sano.

"Thank you so much." Sano smiled.

"Anything Jou-chan. I'll walk you back to the hotel," he said, crossing the street. Kaoru smiled and followed after him.

"Ok," she answered.

""

Megumi opened the door to the hotel room. She looked around and found it empty. She smiled a bit. _'I guess Tae was right. Kayko probably took her out.'_ She closed the door and slipped out of her shoes. She took her coat off and threw it onto one of the bed. Hiko had invited her over for dinner at 8 as a welcome to the town dinner for Kaoru and her. She had nicely said she would go. He was a pretty decent guy, cute too. Tae had chosen a good one this time. She smiled. She pulled her cell phone out and started to call Kaoru. She heard her pick up on the third ring.

_"I'm outside the door right now, Megumi."_ She giggled. Megumi smiled.

"Well then hurry and get your ass inside." Kaoru giggled again and hung up, the door opened shortly after she did so. Megumi closed her phone and smiled at her. "So you got out. What did you do?" Kaoru smiled and closed the door, taking her shoes off and sitting on the bed.

"I went to the park with Kayko, Misao, Sano, Yahiko, and a few other people." Megumi raised an eye brow.

"Oh? Who were these new people?" She asked. _'Bet one of them was this Kenshin guy Hiko spoke about.'_ Kaoru smiled.

"Well there was a girl about Yahiko's age named Tsubame. She was a little cutey. Then there was this most gorgeous guy I have ever seen," she started getting all giddy again. Megumi raised an eye brow. "He had beautiful gorgeous red hair, wonderful violet eyes, and…"

"His name is Kenshin…" Megumi smiled. Kaoru blinked. Megumi smiled bigger. "Yeah I heard of him. You sound really attracted to him…" Megumi let her foxness come out. Kaoru blinked a bit, then blushed a deep red, remembering how she described him. She laughed nervously to herself a blushed deeper

"U-Uh…I'm not attracted to him…he just…"

"Wonderfully perfect?" Megumi smirked slyly and raised an eye brow. Kaoru paused, then fell back on her back on the bed.

"Kami yes!" She yelled, smiling. "He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen!" Her smile dropped and she sat up. "To bad he probably hates me now…" Megumi blinked at her.

"Why would you say that?" She asked, tucking a piece of Kaoru's hair behind her ear. Kaoru sighed.

"I snapped at him…" Megumi raised an eye brow.

"Why?" Kaoru twiddled her thumbs.

"I said I wasn't used to being around guys because of my past, he asked if I had a bad boy friend or family member in the past and I kinda flipped. I got really defensive," she said, looking up at her. Megumi sighed and put her arm around her shoulders.

"Honey, just because you snap at a person doesn't mean they are gonna hate you. All you probably gotta do it talk to him." She smiled. Kaoru smiled back a bit.

"That might work, but I'm not ever leaving this room until we hit the road again," she said, looking down at her lap. Megumi laughed a bit.

"That might be a bit hard…" Kaoru looked at her.

"Why?" Megumi laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head.

"Well, this guy named Seijuro Hiko asked us to dinner tonight and I accepted…" She smiled. Kaoru blinked at her.

"…You did what…?" Megumi frowned.

"Come on Kaoru! It'll be fun! He's Kayko's foster dad so she'll be there…along with Kenshin…" she muttered the last part. Kaoru looked at her with huge eyes.

"WHAT?!" Megumi jumped. "You accepted us to go to dinner with a guy you just met and KENSHIN'S going to be there!? Omg! What am I gonna wear!" She yelled, jumping up and going through her bag, looking for clothes to change into. Megumi raised an eye brow and giggled.

"You don't have to get ready now. We're leaving at 7:30 because dinner's at 8 and it's only 4:18…" Megumi giggled more when Kaoru froze.

"…Oh…" She stopped searching through her bag and sat on her bed. Megumi shook her head.

"Girl you like him…" Kaoru blushed.

"Do not!!" Megumi laughed.

"You just went nuts on what to wear when you've only met the guy…what…and hour ago?" Kaoru blushed more.

"Ah shut up," she said back, grabbing her book and opening to the page she left off on.

""

"I'm home! And I brought Kenshin!" Kayko yelled, walking into the house, Kenshin following. They walked into the living room and found Hiko on the couch watching TV. He looked at them.

"Welcome back. How are you stupid?" He asked, looking at Kenshin. Kenshin blinked.

"Um…fine?" Hiko laughed.

"I'm just messing with you. We have people coming over for dinner tonight so you gotta make more food, Kayko." Kayko rolled her eyes. _'Food food food! Is that all that man thinks about?'_

"Is that all I'm good for old man? Cooking?" Hiko smirked.

"Nah, you're just the only one who can cook," he answered. Kenshin crossed his arms.

"I beg the differ. I can cook, too," Kenshin said back. Hiko nodded.

"True, but she cooks better and knows more cooking recipes." Kenshin rolled his eyes. Kayko rolled her eyes as well.

"I should go on strike agents you ya old man." She made her way to the kitchen. "How many is coming and who are they?" Hiko smiled.

"Two. Megumi and Kaoru." He smiled. Kayko turned and looked at him, her face brightened.

"Really!? That's awesome! I'll make steak! No no no…pork chops!" She started rummaging around the kitchen. Hiko smiled and looked at Kenshin. Kenshin seemed off in his thoughts. Hiko put his hand on his shoulder.

"You ok Kenshin?" Kenshin looked at him.

"Yeah. Just thinking." Hiko raised an eye brow and popped him on the back of the head. Kenshin let out a loud _'ORO.'_ Hiko laughed.

"Idiot…"

""

Megumi drove down the street, Kaoru sitting next to her. Megumi was dressed in jeans and a white blouse. Kaoru was dressed in jeans and a lavender tang top, a black jacket over it. She has also tied her hair up into a high pony tail. Megumi turned to Kaoru.

"Hiko didn't give me directions, but I do remember Kayko giving you an address yesterday. Do you have it?" Kaoru nodded and pulled it out of her pocket, handing it to her. Megumi took it and looked back at the road. She found the house easy and parked in the driveway. She turned the car off and both girls got out of the car. They made their way up to the door and rang the bell. Shortly after, the door opened. Kaoru's breath caught in her throat. Kenshin had answered the door. Megumi looked at her out of the corner of her eyes, then back at Kenshin. _'Ah ha…this must be Kenshin…'_ She thought. Kenshin smiled.

"Welcome. Kayko is just finishing up with dinner," he said, moving a side and letting them in. Megumi smiled and walked in. Kaoru followed her in, her arm slightly brushing Kenshin arm. A deep blush crossed her cheeks and she hurried away. Kenshin smiled a bit and closed the door behind them. "Make yourselves comfortable," he said smiling. Megumi smiled back at him.

"Thank you erm…?"

"Kenshin Himura," he answered. Megumi smiled.

"Megumi Takani. Thank you Ken-san," she walked into the living room. Kaoru narrowed her eyes at her. _'Ken-san?'_ She walked into the kitchen. Kayko turned and smiled at her.

"Hey! Glad to see you here!" Kayko was finishing up setting the table. Kaoru smiled.

"What's for dinner?" Kayko smiled and walked over to her.

"Pork chops with corn and baked potatoes," she answered. Kaoru licked her lips.

"Sounds good. When we eating?"

"When Hiko brings in the pork chops," she said, looking outside. "He's talking to Megumi right now." She looked at Kenshin and smiled. "Hey Kenshin." Kaoru jumped and looked at Kenshin. She didn't even hear him come in! Kenshin smiled. Kayko walked over to the oven and opened it, checking up on the potatoes. "Kenshin can you check the refrigerator and see how the banana pudding is doing?" Kenshin nodded and headed over to the fridge. Kaoru looked at Kayko.

"You need me to do anything?" She asked. Kayko looked at her and smiled.

"You don't have to," she said back. Kaoru smiled.

"I know, but I want to." Kayko smiled.

"Alright then. Can you finish setting the table for me?" Kaoru smiled and nodded. "Great. I just need the napkins and silverware out. The napkins are in the draw by the sink and the silverware (A/N: Yes I know they use chopsticks but I dun wanna. They are using forks and knifes in this story) in by the fridge." Kaoru nodded and went over to the sink, opening the draw and getting five napkins out. She then walked over to the fridge and opened the draw there, pulling out forks, knifes, and spoons. She felt her arm brush Kenshin's again as he closed the fridge door. She jerked her arm away quickly, dropping all the utensils.

"Shit…" she said quietly to herself, blushing once again. She kneeled down and started to pick up the small mess. She felt Kenshin kneel down next to her. He began to help pick up all the forks and knives. She picked up the final spoon and stood up straight, Kenshin standing up next to her. He handed her the few knives, forks, and spoons he had picked up. She took them from him, her hand brushing his as she took them. She blushed more and almost dropped the silverware. "Th-Thanks…" She smiled at him. He smiled back.

"No problem," he said back. Kayko looked over her shoulder slightly at the two. She smiled. _'o0o0o La la…I think Kaoru likes Kenshin…'_ Kayko thought. _'Oh yeah…She so likes him!'_ Kayko thought. She could tell by the blush that covered Kaoru's cheeks. Kaoru looked at Kayko and Kayko looked away before she saw her looking. Kaoru looked back at Kenshin.

"Look…I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I got to defens…"

"Pork chops are ready!" Hiko yelled, walking in with five pork chops on a plate, Megumi following in after him. Kayko smiled and set the potatoes on the table, along with a bowl of corn. She then walked over to Kaoru and took the napkins and silverware from her. Kaoru blushed. She had been so engulfed by Kenshin she forgot to set the napkins and silverware on the table.

Hiko smiled and set the plate on the table, taking his seat at the head of the table. Megumi smiled and took a seat on his right. Kenshin took the seat on his left. Kayko smiled and set the napkins and silverware around the plates and bowls, then took a seat next to Megumi. Kaoru blinked at her. She did it again! Took a seat to where SHE had to sit by Kenshin! She blushed and took the only seat left, the one next to Kenshin. Kenshin smiled at her and she gave him a small smile back. Hiko smiled at everyone.

"Lets eat!"

""

Kaoru took the last few dishes off the table and walked over to the sink where Kayko was scrubbing some of the leftover food off the plates. Kaoru placed the dishes in the sink.

"That dinner was great, Kayko," she said smiling. Kayko giggled.

"Thanks. I usually cook around here 'cause Hiko can't cook nuthin' and Kenshin lives in his own house," she said back. Kaoru giggled.

"At least you CAN cook. Everything I cook is either over cooked were it's burned, or not cooked enough." Kayko giggled and started to put dishes in the dishwasher.

"It's really not that hard. It's one of the easiest things to do if you ask me," she said, putting the last dish in the washer. "I could teach you if you like?" She smiled. Kaoru blinked at her.

"Could you really?" Kayko nodded. Kaoru smiled big. "That would be awesome!" Her smiled dropped. "But I'll probably be leaving tomorrow…" Kayko put dishwashing soap in the washer and closed the lid, turning the knob on normal wash.

"Hey. You said the latest you stay is a week, and at the rate Hiko and Megumi are going at I think Megumi might want to stay a little longer as well. So what do ya say? We could do it tomorrow," she said smiling big. Kaoru giggled.

"Alright. Tomorrow it is." Kayko clapped her hands in delight.

"Great! Be over at about 9! I'm awake by then and Hiko is out of the house! I'll go tell Hiko so he doesn't freak when he comes home to find the kitchen a mess." She made her way out of the kitchen and froze. "What is that?" She said, pointing to the sake bottle. Hiko smirked a bit.

"Uh…well you see Kayko…"

"PROTESTING!!" Hiko put his hand on his forehead. Megumi looked him, then at Kayko. Kaoru came up and stood beside Kayko.

"Not again. Kayko don't you dare…" Kayko pulled out a sign, from who knows where, that had a circle around Hiko's name on it that had a line going through it.

"PROTESTING!" Kaoru covered her mouth to hold in her giggled. Megumi did the same. Hiko sighed.

"Come on Kayko! I haven't had sake in forever! Cut me some slack! Please?" Kayko blinked for a second.

"…PROTESTING!" She sat down where she was standing and held the sign up. Hiko groaned and fall back on the couch. Megumi giggled behind her hand. Kaoru giggled. Hiko got up and took the sign from her. Kayko blinked, then glared up at him. Hiko put the sign behind the TV.

"Now Kayko…" Kayko pulled a smaller sign, similar to the big one, from her pocket and waved it about.

"Protesting…" Kaoru began to laugh. Megumi was having somewhat more control over her giggles, but it was fading quickly. Hiko crossed his arms. Kaoru moved her way to the back door and walked out back. She closed the door, blocking out Hiko trying to get Kayko to act her age and her yells of protesting. She giggled to herself lightly. Kayko sure did know how to make a person laugh. Kaoru looked back at the door and smiled a bit. She could hear Megumi laughing in the mix of voices. She looked foreword and looked up at the starry sky. Kaoru closed her eyes and breathed in the night air. She jumped when she heard the back door open and close. She whipped around to see Kenshin walking toward her. He smiled at her.

"Hey." She smiled a bit at him.

"Hi," she said back. He stood next to her.

"Why are you out here?" Kaoru looked back at the sky.

"No reason. Just wanted a little quiet," she answered, turning and looking back at him. "Look…about what happened earlier today…" He turned his head and looked at her. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It was kind of a personal thing and I got all defensive. It's wasn't your fault." She looked down at her hands. Kenshin smiled a bit.

"It's alright Kaoru-dono. I shouldn't have asked something like that anyway," he said back. Kaoru smiled at him. _'He is so cute!'_ She thought, squealing in her head. She looked back up at the sky, allowing a peaceful silence come between the two of them. To bad the silence didn't last to long.

"Fine then! I'll protest out side!" Kayko slammed the door behind her with a huff, her small protesting sign in her hand. Kenshin and Kaoru turned and looked at her. She looked up at the two and smiled a bit. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Kenshin shook his head.

"No. Kaoru-dono and I are just out here talking," he replied. Kaoru nodded her head in agreement. Kayko smiled.

"Ok cool." She came up on Kaoru's other side. The three looked up at the sky, watching the stars. Little did they know, there were two men watching them. One of them gave a deep glare at the girl in the middle, the other gave the same glare to the girl on the side. Kenshin blinked and turned his attention to where the men where standing. They hurried back into the darkness as fast as they could before he saw them. Kenshin's eyes narrowed. His eyes shifted to Kayko, to the dark corner, then back to Kayko. _'I'll have to keep an eye on her,'_ he thought. He looked back at the sky. The two men smiled evilly and turned, heading back out on the street. They'd strike when ready…

""

HA! 20 pages people! 20 PAGES! I've never written that much before! OMG! First day of meeting Kenshin and Kaoru's already crazy for him! I bet you can guess who those guys were. Well review and wait for the next chapter! I'll try to make it as long as this one! Ta ta!

HDI


	5. Cooking Lessons

OMG! Chapter 5! YES! I GOT IT UP BEFORE CHRISTMAS! I flippin' ROCK! Hehe...Sorry. I'm in a good mood.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters, although I might make up a few to mach the story. I will tell you now, Megumi and Sano do not get together. I'm sorry to those who like the SanoXMegumi, but this is not one. There will be one main character I will make up, and she will be with Sano. In this story, Megumi is way too old for Sano, although I'm thinking of putting her with Hiko. Lol. That will be interesting. If you think I should, leave some reviews and we'll see what happens. Also, Yahiko is older in this story. He's not like…11, 12, or how old he is. Lol. Hope you like it!

_**Reviews**_

I am responding to your reviews so look for your name and my response will be next to it. =)

_Derra__: I tried to get all my stories off my old computer, but it didn't work. It is really messed up. But on the bright side I did get all my stories from this site and another one that I had posted them on. I just have to rewrite chapter five of __Can't Run From the Past Foreve__r (Which I'm doing now YAY!) and __New girl__. Thank you for the advice though._

_RedWingedAngel002__: Kayko is sort of the main character, she just doesn't suppress Kaoru. Kaoru is who the story will be centered on the most, but Kayko is pretty high up there. Kayko's dream was about her own past. You will find out more about that later on in the story. I guess it was kinda rushed…but I just tried to make them sound friendly. Maybe it was a little TO friendly. Lol_

_AwesomeHachi1521316:__ I don't mind reading long reviews at all. =) I'm glad you really like it. I don't think it sounds weird at all. I'm actually REALLY flattered. I was trying to get Kayko's character like the others in the anime and manga. I did kinda match her personality to Misao's, but then again I didn't. I kinda made her a mix between Kaoru and Misao. Like…she has that really high energy like Misao, and has that temper like Kaoru. Then again she is her own character. Like, she will be similar to those two, maybe even a little Megumi, but she will also be different. You'll see later. Thanks for the advice on the way Kenshin speaks. I plan to put that in here as much as I can. _

I hope that answered things. On with the story!

'''

Megumi sat up in bed and stretched her arms out above her head, letting a huge yawn fall out from her mouth. Today she was going shopping with Tae. She glanced over at the clock and saw it was 8:42 am. She sighed and got out of bed and made her way over to the bathroom. Kaoru must have woken up late and was still in the shower. When she looked in she saw the bathroom was empty. Blinking a few times, she looked over at the bed to see that is was made. Blinking more, Megumi made her way over and saw that there was a small piece of paper on the pillow. She picked up the note and opened it to read.

_Hey Megumi,_

_I got up a bit early and headed over to Kayko's for cooking lessons. I don't know how late I will be out, but I promise that I will call around dinner time. I hope you will have fun out shopping with Tae. Buy something cute!_

_Love,_

_Kaoru._

Megumi smiled and set the paper on the table. _'She seems to be cheery. I wonder what the reason could be.'_ She let out another yawn and looked at the clock. She wasn't meeting Tae for another hour and a half. She smiled and headed over to the bathroom again. _'I'll just do a little food shopping before I head over.'_

_'''_

Kaoru turned the last corner of the street and turned to look at the houses. She spotted Kayko's house and started toward it. She reached the door and knocked on it lightly, folding her arms across her chest as she waited for the door to be answered. A few seconds later the door opened, Kayko poking her head out with a smile. Kaoru looked at her and smiled.

"Hey. I hope I'm not here too early." Kayko shook her head.

"No not at all! I was kinda expecting you a bit early," Kayko answered, moving a side to let Kaoru into the house. Kaoru stepped in and looked around, seeing that Hiko wasn't anywhere near. She turned to Kayko.

"Is Hiko gone?" Kayko closed the door and turned to her.

"Yeah. He left early. I think he's meeting up with someone." Kayko answered. Kaoru nodded her head.

"Wont doubt if he runs into Megumi." Kayko snickered a bit and made her way into the kitchen, Kaoru following close behind. "So what are we starting wit today?" She asked, leaning against the counter. Kayko smiled and started to get some cooking supplies out.

"I thought we could start out with something easy. Miso soup," the brunette answered. Kaoru blinked a bit.

"We are starting with soup?" Kayko nodded.

"Yup yup! It's pretty easy actually. Just try not to burn yourself," she said with a smile. Kaoru giggled and nodded. Kayko got most of the things started and then stepped a side and started to guide Kaoru through the rest.

'''

Megumi took a sip of her coffee while she continued to listen Tae go on and on. _'I forgot how much this woman could talk,'_ She thought, nodding her head every once in a while to show she was listening. She looked off at the window and thought,_ 'I wonder what Hiko is doing…'_ She blinked a few times before thinking again, _'Megumi how can you think that! You don't even know the man that well,' _she told herself.

"Megumi? Hello, are you listening to me?" Tae yelled, waving her hand in front of her friend. Megumi blinked and looked at her.

"I'm sorry Tae. I just kinda got side tracked," she answered, smiling slightly. Tae just rolled her eyes smiling.

"Mhm…day dreaming. You use to do it all the time when you had a crush on a…" She stopped, then crossed her arms smiling slyly. Megumi blinked at her.

"What?" She asked. Tae just smiled bigger.

"You were thinking of Hiko weren't you," She accused, making the woman across from her blush different shades of red.

"No I was not! I barely know the guy," Megumi answered. Tae shrugged.

"So? You don't have to know a person for long to get a crush on them." Her friend just rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Tae. Believe what you want. Are we still going shopping?" Tae nodded and got up, putting her purse over her shoulder. Megumi got up and placed a tip on the table before putting her purse over her shoulder and walking out with her friend to go shopping.

'''

Misao pulled up at Kenshin's house, a worried look on her face. She parked her car and got out, heading to the front door. She knocked a few times and waited. It was not long before she heard Buddy barking and foot steps heading toward the door. Kenshin opened, pushing Buddy back with his foot. He looked at her and smiled.

"Hello Misao-dono, would you like to come in?" He asked. Misao nodded and walked in. Kenshin closed the door behind her. "Would you like something to drink?" She shook her head and sat on the couch, petting Buddy on the head when he laid his head on her knee.

"I came to talk to you about something…" she said, looking up at him. He blinked at her and sat down on the coffee table infront of her.

"What would you want to talk about?" Misao sighed and folded her hands in her lap.

"I woke up this morning and had sick feeling in my gut…like something bad is going to happen," she said. Kenshin nodded his head, telling her to continue. "Ever since I came back two days ago, things have felt a little different. It's like something is going to happen, and its not gonna be good." Kenshin watched her for a minute.

"I'm guessing its going to include Kayko," he said quietly. Misao nodded. "I'll talk to Sano and tell him to keep an eye on her," he told her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Misao smiled and got up.

"Thanks Kenshin. Do you think you could head over there now, you know, just to watch her and everything," she asked. Kenshin nodded.

"Will do." Misao smiled and walked over to the door.

"Tell Kayko I'll see her later. I heard something on Aoshi-Sama again today, so I'm gonna go check it out. See ya later," she said, opening the door and walking it out. Kenshin watched the door close and sighed. _''I hope he hasn't found you, Kayko,' _he thought.

'''

"Hey Kaoru, how is everything going on in he…OMG WHAT DID YOU DO!"

"I didn't do anything! It just caught fire!"

"Caught fire! How do you catch soup on fire!"

"I don't know! I told you I couldn't cook!"

"THE CURTENS ARE ON FIRE!"

"Omg Omg Omg! Kayko what do we do!"

"We put it out!"

"Where is the fire extinguisher!"

"I don't know! Hiko moves it a lot!"

"Find it!"

"THE COUNTER IS ON FIRE!

"Put it out Kayko! Put it out!"

"Hey Kayko. I wanted to know if…HOLY SHIT! What happened!"

"Kaoru set it on fire!"

"It's not my fault! I told you I could not cook!"

"How do you burn soup!"

"I don't know! This is me we are talking about!"

"Kenshin help us!"

"Kayko go get a bucket of water, Kaoru go get the phone and call 911."

The two girls nodded and ran out while Kenshin searched the kitchen for the fire extinguisher. He found it under the sink and pulled it out. He ran over to the stove and began to put out the fire. Kaoru ran in with the phone in her hand as Kenshin put out the last flame. He sighed in relief and looked at her. Kaoru blushed and set the phone on the table.

"I guess I don't need to call 911," she said quietly. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to set the kitchen on fire," she said again. Kenshin smiled a bit.

"It's not my kitchen, but I'm sure Kayko will forgive you, that I do." She smiled.

"I have the water!" Kayko yelled running in and throwing the bucket of water at the stove. Kenshin closed his eyes as the water splashed all over him and Kaoru blinked before wiping a drop of water off her face. Kayko blinked for a sec, then smiled. "Heh heh…sorry…" Kenshin glared at her slightly. Kaoru giggled a bit. Kayko twiddled her thumbs while rocking back and forth on her heals. "So…what now?" She asked. Kaoru shrugged as Kenshin continued to glare at her. Kayko blinked. "Why are you glaring at me? You are the one who told me to go get the water!" Kenshin glared more and threw a crusty sponge, which had been in the fire, and threw it at her head. She blinked as it bounced off her head, then looked at it. She looked back up at him. "That wasn't very nice." Kenshin rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, what are you two planning to do?" He asked the two girls. Kayko blinked before scratching her head. Kaoru twiddled her thumbs.

"I have an idea!" Kayko said, her finger pointing up at the air.

"This outta be good," Kenshin said, looking at Kaoru.

'''

Hiko yawned and pulled his keys out of his pocket, unlocking the door. He walked in and closed the door, then stopped. Something wasn't right. He looked around the entry way, then moved to the living room. Everything looked fine. He looked around and then headed toward the kitchen.

He came to the kitchen door to see it closed. It had a sign on it that read "Under Renovations." Hiko blinked at it. His eyes narrowed a bit and he tried to open the door. _'Locked,'_ he thought. _'Kayko what did you do?'_ He asked him self.

He sighed and popped his knuckles, then pulled his arm back and punched the door. It fell back and showed the burned, watery, smelly kitchen. Hiko blinked, then glared daggers at the sight before him.

"KAYKO!"

Miles away at Kenshin's house, Kayko was teaching Kaoru again, this time in Kenshin's kitchen, Kenshin watching. Kayko was teaching Kaoru how to make a cake. Kaoru set the cake pan on the counter. Kayko was about to get the cook book, then stopped suddenly in her tracks. Kenshin and Kaoru both looked at her.

"Kayko are you ok?" Kaoru asked. Kayko turned her head slowly, looking in the general area on her house's direction.

"I sense a disturbance in the force…" Kaoru blinked and Kenshin began to laugh. "It's getting closer…and closer…and closer...and closer OMG HE'S COMING!" She yelled, running out of the kitchen. Kenshin leaned against the counter, laughing more. Kaoru watched her run out. After a few minutes, Kayko did not return and Kenshin's laughter had calmed down. Kaoru looked at him.

"Where did she go?" Kenshin chuckled a bit.

"Probably to Sano's, that or she's in the back under my bed." Kaoru giggled, then blinked (A/N: OMG she does that a lot!).

"Who is gonna teach me then?" Kenshin smiled.

"I will be glad to help, that I will," he answered. Kaoru smiled.

"Alright. Just tell me what to do," she said. Kenshin went to the pantry and got out the sugar.

"Get the eggs, milk and butter out of the fridge," he ordered. Kaoru nodded and made her way over to the fridge. She got the butter out and placed it on the counter. She then grabbed the milk, but her being a klutz, the milk slipped out of her hand and spilled all over the floor.

"Omg I'm so sorry!" She yelled, picking up the milk quick. Kenshin sighed and grabbed a rag.

"It's ok. Just get the eggs out and stand back." Kaoru nodded, placing the eggs on the counter and backed up. Kenshin cleaned up the spilled mess and threw the rag into the laundry room. He got another gallon of milk out of the fridge and put it on the counter. He got the rest of the ingredients out and motioned for Kaoru to come over.

She made her way over to him and stood at his side. "Alright, now I've already put the coco powder in there, I want you to put two cups of milk in there." Kaoru nodded and looked around.

"Um…where do you keep your cups?" She asked, making Kenshin laugh. She looked at him confused. "What?" He chuckled and grabbed a measuring cup.

"Not really a cup. I mean measurements," he said with a smile. Kaoru blushed with embarrassment.

"Oh," she said quietly. She poured two cups of milk into the bowl.

"Good. Now one cup of flour and one cup of sugar," he said next. She did what he said, then looked at him for the next command. "Now you need to crack two eggs." Kaoru blinked at him with a confused look. Kenshin began to smile. "Do you know how to crack an egg?" He asked with his smile growing. Kaoru blushed and shook her head. He chuckled lightly and grabbed an egg. "I'll show you how to do the first one, "he said, breaking the egg on the side of the bowl and letting the yoke fall into the batter. Kaoru watched him as he did so. "You think you can do it?" She looked at the bowl for a sec and nodded.

"I think so. Can I practice first?" She asked. Kenshin nodded and grabbed another bowl and placed it infront of her. She grabbed her first egg and looked at the bowl.

"Also, make sure none of the shells get in the mix," he told her. Kaoru nodded and broke the egg on the side of the bowl. It shattered everywhere, little pieces of shells lingered in the bowl. She frowned. "It's alright," Kenshin told her. "It was your first try. Try again," he said, she nodded and grabbed another egg. She went through five eggs, and completely broke her sixth one. She stomped her foot in frustration. Kenshin chuckled. Kaoru turned and glared at him.

"This is not funny! I can't do it!" Kenshin chuckled more.

"Yes you can you just have to keep trying," he told her.

"I've tried six times, I can't do it," she groaned. Kenshin snickered. Kaoru glared at him. "Stop laughing it's not funny." Kenshin calmed down his chuckles and gave her another egg.

"Just give it one more try," he told her. She took it and looked at him, then at the egg. She smiled and took the egg with both hands, then cracked it over his head, perfectly. She smiled with pride and waved her hands a bit, trying to get the yoke off her fingers. Kenshin looked at her with a shocked face.

"Was that good?" She asked with a smile. Kenshin opened his mouth, then closed it.

"I can't believe you just did that," he said, still shocked. Her smile widened. "Fine then," he said, grabbing an egg. Her smile dropped and she looked at it.

"You better no…" she closed her eyes as the yoke seeped through her hair. Kenshin smiled wide. Kaoru glared at him. "So its gonna be like that?" She asked, grabbing a handful of flour. She tossed it at him, getting it all over his face and hair. His mouth opened with shock and he smiled slyly.

"Oh it's on," he said, grabbing the milk and pouring it on her. She screeched with shock and began to throw more flour at him. He grabbed the sugar bag and threw sugar at her. The battle was on.

'''

Hours passed and the kitchen was a mess. Eggs and milk covered the ceiling and walls, flour and sugar splattered all over the floor. Kaoru was on the ground laughing, and Kenshin was leaning against the counter laughing. He fell down next to her and sighed.

"That was the best food fight ever," he said, lying down. Kaoru giggled and leaned back on her elbows.

"It was amazing," she giggled. Kenshin smiled and looked around.

"It's gonna suck cleaning this up you know," he said, turning his head and looked at her. She giggled more.

"Definitely. I wonder where Kayko is." She said. They heard a scream and looked at each other, then got up and looked out the window. They watched as Kayko ran by, Hiko on her heals.

"I can't believe you burned my KITCHEN!" He yelled.

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" She yelled, running with her hands infront of her.

"I DON'T CARE! You live there so there for IT'S YOUR FAULT!"

"MEH! I'M GOING TO SANO'S!" She screamed, running down the street, Hiko running after her. The two in the kitchen busted out laughing. Kaoru leaned on Kenshin for support while Kenshin held himself up with the counter, his arm around her. They laughed for a good 5 minutes before they were able to breath evenly again. Kaoru let out a few more giggles and looked at him.

"That was hilarious," she said. Kenshin chuckled and looked back at her.

"Oh trust me that's nothing. They have done some funnier (A/N: I dunno if that's a word or not, but it is now.) things." Kaoru giggled.

"I don't doubt that," she said smiling. She then realized that something was around the middle of her back. She looked back at saw it was Kenshin's arm. She blushed dark and looked at the floor. Kenshin saw her blushed and figured out his arm was around her. He moved it quickly, blushing lightly.

"Um…Sorry Kaoru-dono." Kaoru looked at him and smiled slightly.

"It's alright," she said, still blushing. Kenshin sighed and looked around the kitchen. "I guess we should start cleaning this up," she said. Kenshin nodded. "Well then let's get started." The two of them got some cleaning supplies out and began to work.

'''

Sano leaned back in his chair, flipping through the TV channels.

"There is NOTHING on!" He yelled! Yahiko walked in and collapsed on the couch. Yahiko opened a bag of chips and started to munch on them. Sano looked at him. "What are you doing here? Eating my food…Don't you have work? How did you even get in here?" Yahiko looked at him.

'I'm bored, I'm hungry, not today, and your bed room window was open," the boy said, looking back at the TV. Sano glared at him.

"Yahiko you just don't come into a person's house," he said.

"Sano's right," Kayko said, sitting next to Yahiko. Yahiko and Sano jumped and looked at her.

"When did you get here! Why are you here? How did you get in!" Sano asked her. Kayko looked at him.

"Just now, Hiko was chasing me, and your bedroom window was open," she answered. Sano sighed and looked at the TV.

"I'm gonna have to lock that thing. Hey wait a second," he said looking at her. "I thought you were gonna help that new girl cook today." Kayko looked at him and laughed nervously.

"Heh heh….Yeah…I was, but that didn't turn out to well…she's at Kenshin's right now," She answered. Sano and Yahiko looked at her.

"Really now?" They asked at the same time. Kayko looked at them and frowned.

"Oh no you two don't. Don't go off and play match maker. You heard what she said the other day; she doesn't stay longer then a week. That's not enough time for them to get together. And even if they did get together, they wouldn't be together for very long." Sano smiled.

"Not if we convince Hiko to convince that Megumi chick to stay," he said smiling slyly. Yahiko smiled.

"I like the way you think, Sano," he said. Sano smiled more. Kayko sighed and rubbed her temples.

"I can't believe you two are gonna bud into more people's business," she said. Sano and Yahiko looked at her.

"You know you want to try to get them together," they accused. Kayko bit the inside of her cheek as she watched them for a second.

"Yeah your right. Count me in." Sano and Yahiko smiled.

"Awesome! Let's go come up with something over food. I'm starving," Yahiko told them, rubbing his tummy. Kayko rolled her eyes. Sano nodded his head in agreement.

"You know Yahiko, sometimes I wonder if you have a tape worm or something 'because you eat so much," Kayko told him, getting up and heading to the door. Yahiko shrugged and got up, following after her. Sano grabbed his car keys and got up. The three headed out the door.

'''

"Tae I think we bought too much," Megumi said giggling. Tae shook her head, laughing lightly.

"It's not a lot! We just went to six different stores," she told her with a wave of her hand. Megumi rolled her eyes.

"Yeah and bought at least 5 things at each store, well I did. You bought at least 10," she giggled more. Tae giggled with her and shrugged.

"I love to buy things. We use to be shopping maniacs in high school." Megumi nodded her head in agreement.

"Those were the days," she smiled. Tae giggled more and hooked arms with her.

"So how long are you and Kaoru planning to stay?" She asked, looking for another store to visit. Megumi's smile dropped a bit.

"I'm not sure. When Kaoru wants to leave is when we leave. I've told her many times that her father isn't ever going to find us again, but she won't hear it. She's too afraid. She wants to keep moving around," she said with a sigh. Tae looked at her.

"She can't run forever. She has to settle somewhere." Megumi looked at her.

"That's what I say, but like I said, she doesn't want to hear it. That's why I'm really happy she met Kayko and all of Kayko's friends. I hope that they will grow on her and she'll want to stay." Tae smiled.

"I think they will grow on her. Kayko has a way with people. If she chooses to stay, y'all can stay at my house until you two are able to get one of your own," Tae told her. Megumi smiled and hugged her friend.

"Thanks Tae." Tae smiled and looked at a restaurant across the street. Megumi followed her gaze and smiled. "I'm all for it. Pay half and half?" She asked. Tae nodded her head and they crossed the street to the restaurant. They entered the restaurant and saw that over in a corner sat Kayko. "Look there's Kayko," Megumi said, tapping Tae on the arm. Tae looked over.

"Yup that's her, but she's not with Kaoru." Megumi blinked and looked at Kayko again. Tae was right, she wasn't with Kaoru. Instead she was with those other two boys, Sano and Yahiko. _'Wait if Kayko is with them, then where is Kaoru,' _she thought. Megumi made her way over to them, Tae following after. Sano heard footsteps and looked at them.

"Tae! Hey how are ya?" Tae smiled.

"Fine Sanosuke, thank you," she answered. He smiled. Kayko and Yahiko looked at her and smiled.

"Oh and your Megumi right," He asked. Megumi nodded. Kayko looked at her.

"Hey Megumi," she said. "I bet your wondering where Kaoru is." Megumi crossed her arms.

"Yeah a bit." Sano and Yahiko looked at Kayko. Kayko giggled.

"She's fine and everything. No worries." Megumi nodded her head.

"Good to here. I'd still like to know where she is," she said. Kayko smiled.

"She's with Kenshin," she told her. Megumi blinked. _'Kenshin?'_

"With Kenshin?" She asked. Kayko nodded her head, taking a sip of her coke. "Really? That's different." The three teens looked at her confused.

"Why?" Yahiko asked.

"Well she's not too big into being around guys, especially alone with them." Kayko and Yahiko blinked a bit.

"She seems fine around Kenshin," Kayko told her. Megumi smiled.

"Does she now?" She asked, looking at Tae. Tae smiled.

"Mind if we join y'all?" Tae asked. The three teens shook their heads. Megumi and Tae added on a small table and sat. Megumi looked at Kayko.

"So were you able to teach her how to cook?" Kayko shook her head before taking another sip of her drink.

"No, she almost burned down my kitchen." Sano and Yahiko laughed as Tae and Megumi looked at her with huge eyes.

"Omg she did! I'm so sorry I'll pay for it!" Megumi told her. Kayko smiled and shook her head.

"There's no need. She didn't mean to. I just hope she doesn't burn down Kenshin's next." Sano chuckled.

"I'll laugh if she does," he told them. Kayko looked at him.

"Yeah and then he'll sick Buddy on you and we'll all laugh at that," she said smiling. Sano frowned.

"That's not funny. That dog is evil," he accused. Kayko rolled her eyes.

"Only because you tried to drop kick him over the fence when he was a puppy." Megumi gasped and looked at Sano. Sano shrugged.

"He shouldn't have bitten me!"

"You shouldn't have taken his chew toy away." Sano grumbled and sat back. The tabled snickered, making Sano flip them all off.

'''

"Counters, clean, sink, clean, ceiling, clean, floor, clean, walls, clean," Kenshin said going over the invisible check off list in his mind. Kaoru giggled and continued to put the ingredients away. She placed the eggs in the fridge and sat on the counter. They had cleaned the whole kitchen, not missing a single spot. Kenshin smiled as he looked around. "I think we did pretty well, that we did," he said, looking at her. Kaoru smiled.

"Yeah and it was hard. I'm never throwing an egg at the wall again. Cleaning it up is a pain in the ass," she said, leaning back on her hands. Kenshin chuckled and walked over to her, leaning against the counter next to her.

"Cleaning this kitchen up isn't as bad as cleaning Sano's room up. That room is horrible. Every time his mom is doing her spring cleaning, she calls Kayko over to clean his room." Kaoru giggled. "Kayko cleans it and two hours after she leaves its back to the way it was before." She giggled more.

"I bet that pisses his mom off," she said. Kenshin shook his head.

"No, she just sighs and moves on. Kayko on the other hand gets really pissed." Kaoru laughed lightly. Things grew to a comfortable silence, the two teens deep in their thoughts. Finally Kenshin looked at her and asked, "You wanna go for a walk?" Kaoru snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him. She smiled.

'''

"Sure. A walk sounds nice," she answered. He smiled and pushed off the counter. He took her hand to balance her as she slid off the counter. When she was on her feet, he let go of her hand and they headed to the front door.

"So…you want me to convince Kaoru to stay, 'because you three think, that she and Kenshin should go out?" The three teens nodded. Megumi watched them. Tae shrugged her shoulders and turned to her friend.

"I don't see the problem. You said yourself you wanted to stay. Maybe if you say a few things that will get her thinking and say she wants to stay, things would fall into place," Tae said. Megumi looked at her.

"And what am I suppose to say? "Hey Kaoru. I really like it her and I think we should stay!" Heck no. She'll disagree without a second thought," she said, crossing her arms. Tae rolled her eyes.

"No what you need to do is start off a conversation by asking how her day was. Then move on to how much you like the town, ask her what she thinks of it, then ask her if she likes the friends she has made, and lastly bring up the concept of staying," Kayko told her with a smile. Megumi looked at her.

"I guess that could work, but how do I say it with out sounding suspicious?" Megumi asked. Kayko smiled.

"Bring up how you like Hiko," Kayko replied curtly. Megumi's eyes widened, a huge blush crossing her face.

"I do not like Hiko!" She scowled. Kayko rolled her eyes.

"Please. The way you two acted last night at dinner. I really doubt that. You looked at him the whole time, laughed at everything he said, and hung around after and talked to him more. You like him." Kayko smiled. Megumi's eyes narrowed.

"I do not. He's a very nice, funny, and easy to talk to man who happens to be attractive!" Megumi denied, crossing her arms. Tae snickered.

"Point made, dear Kayko," Tae told her, making Kayko's smile widen. Megumi rolled her eyes. Sano looked at Yahiko.

"Girls are so weird," He said. Yahiko nodded his head in agreement. All three of the women at the table glared at them. The two guys smiled and waved. Kayko rolled her eyes and waved them off.

"Anyway, speaking of Hiko," Tae began, looking at Kayko. "You said you were running from him. Where is he now?" She asked. Kayko smiled, taking another sip of her drink.

"Hanging out with my little friends," Sano looked at her.

"That poor, poor man," he said, shaking his head. Megumi looked at everyone confused. Tae just shook her head.

"Don't ask…" Tae told her.

'''

Kaoru pulled her room key out of her back pocket and opened the door. She tossed her jacket on her bed, closing the door behind her. After kicking off her shoes, she fell on her bed with a dreamy sigh. She and Kenshin had taken a walk through the park.

They had talked about many things, favorite types of food, favorite colors, his crazy dog, what he did for a living. He didn't ask much about her, and that she was happy about. She wasn't gonna tell him her past. She didn't see the point if she was only going to be here for a few more days. Still she smiled. He was a really nice guy. She would miss him a lot after her and Megumi left. Him and Kayko. They ended up sitting on one of the park benches, talking about everything. They ended up exchanging numbers during one conversation. It wasn't until it was turning dark that they started to leave. He walked her to the hotel and offered to walk her to her room, but she told him she could manage.

She heard the lock on the door click and sat up. Megumi walked in, setting all her bags on the table, closing the door with her foot. She looked at Kaoru and smiled, kicking off her shoes.

"Hey. When did you get back?" She asked. Kaoru smiled.

"A few minutes ago. Have fun shopping with Tae?" Megumi smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. It was a lot of fun. We bought a lot of things," she answered, sitting on her bed. Kaoru looked at all the bags.

"Did you buy the store?" She asked with a giggle. Megumi giggled.

"No, but I think Tae wanted to." They laughed.

"So how was your day?" Megumi asked. Kaoru smiled.

"It was good," she told her. Megumi smiled.

"That's good. What did you do?"

"Well I went to Kayko's of course. She tried to teach me how to cook, but that didn't go to well." Megumi smiled, remembering when Kayko told her about that. "Kenshin ended up coming over and helping us out. Afterword we went to Kenshin's and she was gonna try and teach me there, but she ended up running out screaming about someone coming." Megumi giggled, nodding for her to continue. "So Kenshin ended up teaching me how to cook, but we didn't get very far. We ended up having a food fight, "she giggled. Megumi smiled.

"And was that fun?" Kaoru smiled.

"Yeah it was a lot of fun. Then we saw Kayko running outside from Hiko. Didn't see her for the rest of the day." Megumi laughed a bit. "We then cleaned the kitchen up. After that we went for a walk in the park and didn't leave until it was starting to get dark. That's about it." Megumi nodded.

"Did he walk you back?" She asked. Kaoru smiled again and nodded. Megumi smiled. "What a gentlemen," she said. Kaoru giggled. "I'm glad you had a good day," she told her. She smiled slightly.

"It was a great day. Kenshin really is something. He's not like any guy I've ever met," Kaoru told her. Megumi sat crossed legged and leaned back on her hands.

"Sounds like you like him." Kaoru looked at her.

"I don't think I like him, at least not like that. I like him as a friend though," she said, lying on her stomach. Megumi smiled. _'It's a start,'_ Megumi thought.

"I'm glad you made a friend." Kaoru smiled.

"I think I made two." Megumi smiled more. _'Here it goes,'_ she thought.

"Kaoru what do you think of this place?" Megumi asked. Kaoru blinked at her.

"I think that it's a nice little town and it has friendly people in it," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Well I was talking to Tae today," she started. Kaoru's eyes narrowed.

"Talking to Tae about what?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well Tae and I were talking and Tae asked me if I liked it here. I told her I liked it here a lot, so she asked me…"

"No," Kaoru cut her off. Megumi looked at her.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" She yelled.

"Yeah I do. You were going to say that she asked you why wont you stay and you said you wish you could, but you can't 'cause I wont want to so she told you to convince me to stay and the answer is no," Kaoru snapped. Megumi blinked. _'How does she do it?'_ Megumi asked herself. She then narrowed her eyes.

"Why?" Kaoru blinked at her.

"I don't want to stay," she answered. Megumi's eyes narrowed more.

"Why?" Kaoru blinked at her more, then glared.

"I don't want to!" Megumi glared.

"That's not a good enough reason. Why do you not want to stay here? Do you not like it here?"

"It's fine here but…"

"Do you not like the people here?"

"The people here are fine…"

"Do you not like the friends you have made?"

"They are amazing! It's just…"

"Just what, Kaoru! What is wrong with this place! I like it here! You like it here! You have made great friends! I have reunited with some of mine and made some of my own! Tell me what is wrong with this place!" Kaoru jumped up and glared at her.

"I don't need to give you a reason! I don't want to stay here!" Kaoru yelled. Megumi jumped up.

"Give me a reason why!"

"I don't have to give you a reason!

"It's because your scared isn't it!"

Things got really quiet. The two women looked at each other. Kaoru looked at Megumi with a shocked face while Megumi glared at her. Finally Kaoru found the voice to speak.

"What?" She asked.

"You heard me. The reason you don't want to stay is because you are afraid. You're afraid that your father is going to pop back up if we were to stay longer then a week. He's not going to, Kaoru!" Kaoru watched her.

"He did last time…" she said quietly. Megumi's face softened a bit. "Remember? It was a year after we left. We were in that town; we had been there for two weeks. Then one night I woke up and he was standing over me," she continued. Megumi sighed.

"Kaoru that was years ago. We were only a few towns away from where we use to live. We are now far away from that place," Megumi tried to reassure her. Kaoru just shook her head.

"No. I don't want to risk it. I don't want to stay!" Megumi sighed.

"Kaoru stop acting like this! You're 17 years old and you're acting like your 13 again!" Kaoru just slipped on her shoes and grabbed her jacket as she headed for the door. She didn't want to hear this. "Kaoru where are you going?"

"Away from you!" With that she slammed the door behind her. Megumi sat back on the bed and put her face in her hands. _'Oh Kaoru…'_

_'''_

"Kaoru walked down the side walk, her arms crossed. _'I can't believe her! She knows how terrible that day was! How can she get over it and want to stay!'_ Kaoru looked around and stopped. _'Oh great. I did it again. I let my anger get a hold of me and now I don't know where I am.'_ She sighed and started walking again, hoping she would see something somewhat familiar.

After walking for a long period of time and seeing nothing familiar, she stopped again. Fear spiked up in her a bit, but she stayed calm. She pulled out her cell and started to look through the numbers. _'Damn. I haven't gotten Kayko's number yet,'_ she scowled at herself. Her eyes lay on a number she had forgotten she had got. _'Kenshin…I forgot he gave me his number at the park.'_ She smiled and pressed call. She listened to it ring, hoping he would pick up. On the fourth ring, the call was answered.

"Hello?" She heard Kenshin answer threw her phone.

"Hey it's Kaoru," she started.

"Hey," he said.

"Kenshin I kinda need your help right now," she said quietly. He was silent for a minute before he responded.

"Oro? Is something wrong? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Megumi and I just got into a fight and I got mad so I left. Now I'm in the middle of somewhere and I don't know where. Could you…come find me?" She could here movement on the other side of the phone.

"Yeah. Can you describe where you are?" He asked. Kaoru looked at her surroundings.

"Yeah, um…I'm by a small row of stores. One of them is a flower shop. The street names are Yorkrin Street and Pibb Avenue (A/N: I'm drinking a Pibb Xtra)." She heard the rattle of car keys and the sound of a door being opened.

"I know where you are. Find a place to sit and I'll be there soon," he ordered. Kaoru looked and saw a bench by the shops. She crossed the street and sat down.

"Alright. What color is your car?" She asked.

"Red," he answered.

"Type?"

"Porsche." Kaoru looked at the phone in shock.

"A Porsche! Those things cost a lot of money!" She said in shock.

"I know. I'm on my way. See you in a few." Kaoru sighed.

"Alright. See ya." She hung up and phone and sat back. A few minutes passed and she heard foot steps coming. She looked over and saw a group of guys coming around the corner. Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked forward. She hoped they wouldn't see her, and if they did she hoped they wouldn't bug her. She glanced over slightly and tensed up. They were looking at her. She kept her head forward, but her eyes watched them. They were whispering to each other, looking and pointing at her. She closed her eyes and took a deep sigh.

'_Please hurry Kenshin,'_ she thought. She heard footsteps get closer and her eyes snapped open. The guys were standing around her. She looked at them, fear spiking up in her. There were five of them.

"Can I help you?" She asked. The guys smiled, looking at each other. The one that stood infront of her spoke up.

"Why what would a girl like you be doing sitting here alone this late at night?" He asked. Kaoru turned her eyes to him.

"Waiting for someone," she replied. The guy chuckled.

"And who may that be?" He asked. Her eyes narrowed.

"None of your business," she replied curtly. The guys chucked. Kaoru groaned and got up. "Will you excuse me." She turned and started to walk away from the group. She heard them chuckle more. It wasn't long until she heard their footsteps following after her. More fear filled her, but she pushed it back and kept walking. Maybe if she walked a few blocks they would give up and leave her alone. They didn't. They continued to follow her. She took a deep shaky breath and sped up her steps. _'Kenshin is probably wondering where I am,'_ she thought. She looked behind her slightly to see that only two of them were following her. she looked back forward and thought,_' where are the other three?' _Suddenly something grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into an ally way. She turned to see who had pulled her in. It was the guy from earlier. She backed up slightly, making him smile.

"Hello again. Miss me?" He sneered. Kaoru narrowed her eyes.

"No. Now leave me alone." She turned to leave. The two that were following her were blocking the way of the ally. She tensed, and turned to leave the other way, but the other two were blocking that way. Her eyes widen. She was trapped. The leader of the group laughed.

"What wrong sweetie? Not like feeling trapped like an animal?" He leered, walking toward her. She turned to look at him sharply and glared.

"Don't come near me," she snapped, backing up to get away from him. He just smirked and continued to walk toward her. Her back hit a wall and her eyes grew wide. Fear filled her being as the men closed in on her. The head grabbed her chin and began to look her over.

"My dear you a beauty." He laughed. Kaoru slapped his hand away, making him glare.

"Keep your hands off me," she snapped again. He just laughed again.

"We got ourselves a feisty one, boys!" He told the others. They all laughed. Kaoru's heart pounded in her chest as she looked around. She was trapped. The guy turned back to her and pulled her face forward. "Your gonna be a fun one," he said, before his lips crashed to hers. Her eyes grew huge and she began to shove against him with all her might. She pounded against his chest with her hands. In result he pinned her arms at her side, shoving her up against the wall. She struggled, trying her best to get free.

She felt his tongue push past her lips, making her want to gag. Getting an idea, she bit down on his tongue. Blood filled her mouth. The guy jumped away from her, holding his mouth in pain. Kaoru started to spit onto the floor, trying to get the taste out of her mouth. She turned to the guy and glared at him.

"Leave me alone!" He growled and shoved her against the wall again.

"You're going to pay for that, "he said darkly, raising his hand. Her eyes watched his hand, fear filling her being once again. She saw his arm swing and closed her eyes, waiting for the blow. It never came.

She opened her eyes to see a sea of fiery red hair infront of her. She gasped lightly and looked up to see Kenshin, holding the man's wrist in a death grip. His eyes were narrow.

"I do believe she said for you to leave her alone," he spoke firmly, anger dripping off his voice. Kaoru's eyes widened when she heard him speak. He shoved the guys arm away. The man backed up and took off, his friends following after. Kaoru watched them, and then turned back to Kenshin. Kenshin turned and looked at her. His eyes were different. They were still their beautiful purple color, but it was darker.

"Are you alright, Kaoru-dono?" He asked quietly. Kaoru snapped out of her gaze and blinked.

"Y-Yes…I think so," she answered. Kenshin put his hand on her cheek and examined her face.

"He didn't hurt you did he?" He asked. Kaoru shook her head,

"No, but he did kiss me," she spoke. His eyes harden, letting his hand fall to her shoulder.

"Come on, I'll take you back to the hotel," he said, taking her hand and pulling her out of the ally way. Kaoru stopped. Kenshin stopped and looked at her. She shook her head.

"I don't want to go back to the hotel," she said quietly. Kenshin watched her for a second before speaking.

"Megumi-dono is probably worried." Kaoru looked at him.

"I'll give her a call when we get to your house." Kenshin sighed and nodded. He pulled her to his car and opened the door to the passenger's seat. She climbed into the car and Kenshin closed the door behind her. She buckled her seat belt as Kenshin got into the driver's seat. He started the car and drove off.

"You sure you want to go to my house. I can take you to Kayko's," he told her. Kaoru shook her head.

"That's ok. I'll feel bad if I were to wake her up." She paused then looked at him. "I didn't wake you up did I?" Kenshin chuckled.

"No you didn't. I was working late, that I was" he replied. Kaoru looked out the front window.

"I'm sorry I called so late." Kenshin smiled a bit and patted her hand.

"Its fine," he told her, putting his hand back on the wheel. Kaoru smiled and leaned her head against the window, closing her eyes.

I did it! I got it up before Christmas! I'm so happy! Yeah it's like two days till Christmas, but hey. It's up! 23 pages! I'm very proud. I really hope you all like it. Review please!

~Safrin~


	6. Questions not Answered

I am SOOOOOO sorry! It's been two years since my last update and I feel terrible! My life got so complicated that I hardly had free time anymore! Lately I haven't been that busy and I was going through my files and found my stories again. After reading all of them I thought "Hey…I'ma finish these!" So here I am! I'm really going to try and update as much as I can! For those who use to read me, I'm sorry for taking so long! For those who are new, I hope you like the story line!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters, although I do own Kayko. She is a character that I based off on one of my closest friends. I will tell you now; Megumi and Sano do not get together. I'm sorry to those who like the SanoXMegumi, but this is not one. There will be one main character I will make up, and she will be with Sano. In this story, Megumi is way too old for Sano, although I'm thinking of putting her with Hiko. Lol. That will be interesting. If you think I should, leave some reviews and we'll see what happens. Also, Yahiko is older in this story. He's not like…11, 12, or how old he is. Lol. Hope you like it!

'''

After turning off the last light in the household, Kenshin began walking off to his room. It's been only a few hours since he had saved Kaoru from that run in with the street thugs, and now she was sleeping peacefully in one of the guest bedrooms.

As he made his way down the hall, he heard a whimper come from the door on the left. He stopped a few feet from it, before turning and looking at the door. Did that come from the room Kaoru was in? Kenshin opened the door slowly and stuck his head in. Kaoru was on her back with the covers tangled up in her legs, perspiration seemed to cover her whole body, making her clothes and hair stick, and her face looked as though she was in agony. Kenshin instantly knew she was having a nightmare. He had seen it many times with Kayko when she use to have them. He sat on the edge of the bed and shook Kaoru's shoulder gently.

"Kaoru-dono…" he whispered. She groaned lightly and her head turned to face the wall away from Kenshin. "Kaoru-dono…" he said again a little louder, shaking her shoulder again. Kaoru turned her head again, now facing Kenshin and mumbled something lightly, but Kenshin still heard it.

"Daddy no…" Kenshin's eyes narrowed. _'She's dreaming about her father?'_ Kenshin shook her again, but a little rougher.

"Kaoru-dono wake up." Kaoru whimpered and started shaking. She began speaking again, but louder.

"Daddy stop it! I didn't mean to, it was an accident! Please!" She shouted. Kenshin's eyes widen. Kaoru began to shake violently, as if she was being electrocuted. She sobbed loudly and started thrashing around, like she was trying to get out of someone's grasp. Kenshin pulled her up into his lap and held her. Kaoru shoved against his chest and cried louder. "Stop it! Leave me alone!" Kenshin held her tighter and started to rock from side to side, as he had done many times when Kayko had dreams like this. He started whispering quietly in her ear, trying what ever he could to calm her down.

After a few minutes passed, Kaoru began to calm down. Her yelling had stopped, her shaking had seized, and she was now calmly sitting in Kenshin's lap. Kenshin had his arms tight around her, his right hand running his fingers through her hair while he rested his head on top of hers. Kaoru murmured one last thing, and completely relaxed against him. Kenshin lifted his head and looked at her. She was now sleeping calmly, her head resting on his shoulder. Kenshin sighed and slowly laid her back down on the bed. He watched her for a minute, brushing the hair from her face. He got up and tucked the covers around her, then headed over to the door. He turned to look at her one last time before walking out of the room, closing the door behind him.

'''

Sun shined through the windows around the house. Kaoru groaned in annoyance, covering her face with her hand to block out the sun. She slowly got out of bed and walked towards the window. Closing the curtains firmly, she looked around the room confused. This was not her hotel room. She then remembered last night's events and smiled a bit. She was in Kenshin's house. She yawned and made her way to the door. She stopped at the end of the hall and took a deep breath. Something smelt good. Kaoru smiled and walked into the kitchen. Kenshin stood by the stove. The smell of eggs and bacon filled Kaoru's senses. She stopped in the doorway and watched him. He sure seemed to know what he was doing. He had bacon in one pan cooking, and was whisking eggs in another. She smiled and walked over, her footsteps quiet.

"Morning." Kaoru stopped and blinked. _'"How did he know I was awake?' _Kenshin turned and looked at her smiling. "I heard you come in," he answered as if he had read her mind. Kaoru tilted her head to the side.

"You did? I didn't think I was being that loud," she said. Kenshin chuckled and turned back to the food.

"You weren't. I just have very good hearing, that I do," he said back, placing the eggs and bacon on a plate. He set the plate down at the table and began to make one for himself. Kaoru sat down as Kenshin was setting his plate down next to her, as well as another plate across from her that only had bacon on it. Kaoru blinked at it before looking at Kenshin.

"Why did you set a third down? Is someone coming?" Kenshin smiled and took a seat.

"I guess you could say that. Its not planned or what not, she just tends to…" Kaoru felt a sudden whoosh of air and before she knew it, Kayko was sitting across from her, nibbling lightly on a piece of bacon. "…Pop up when she smells bacon," Kenshin finished. He began eating his food. Kaoru just kept looking at Kayko.

"How did you..?" Kayko smiled.

"I love bacon! I can smell if for miles! Best stuff EVER! By the way Kaoru if you don't mind me asking why are you here at Kenshin's?" Kayko asked with a smile, her head tilting to the side innocently. Kaoru blushed and told her last night's incident. Kayko's smile dropped little by little as Kaoru told the story. By the end of it, she was frowning lightly. Kaoru watched her quietly, her gaze flickering to Kenshin before turning back to Kayko. Kenshin seemed to be watching Kayko closely. Kayko laced her fingers together and rested her head on top of them. "That's weird," she finally said. Kaoru looked at her confused.

"Why is that weird?" She asked. Kayko looked at her.

"Well we don't have a bad gang problem here, that we don't," Kenshin answered. Both girls turned their attention to him. "Gangs aren't big in this town. The last big gang was the one Sano was in and that was a while back." Kaoru blinked at him.

"Sano was in a gang?" She asked. Kayko and Kenshin nodded. "How did he get out of it?" She asked. Kenshin smiled and looked over at Kayko, who was quietly nibbling on a piece of bacon, looking up at the ceiling innocently. Kenshin chuckled and looked back at Kaoru.

"Let's just say he was persuaded."

'''

In a house across the street, three men sat in a kitchen looking out the window. Two sat at the table, the other stood next to the window.

"My she's grown," said the first one, looking at the man sitting across from him at the table. The second one rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"I don't understand why I am here," the second one said. "She's your problem, not mine. I have more important things to do." The first one chuckled.

"You are here because you agreed to come help me get her back," the first one said again.

"No. I agreed to help you find her, not help you get her back."

"Still. I am going to need your help. _He_ is going to be a problem," the first one said again, glaring at the man in the house across the street. The second man looked and his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Heh…I do believe I will help after all." The first one smiled.

"When do we take action," the first one asked, looking to the man standing at the window. The third one turned to the other two, then back to the window.

"She has a new friend. A very attractive one at that…" he said quietly. The two men sitting at the table got up and moved to the window. They looked at the girl they had been chasing after for many years. They watched as another girl came into the room. The second one, very slowly started to laugh. The other two men looked at him.

"What's so funny?" The first one asked in an irritated voice. Second one calmed down his chuckles before he calmed down.

"That girl, I haven't seen her in years." The two other men looked at him weird.

"You know her?" The first one asked. The second one nodded.

"I do indeed. Her and I…I guess you can say have a history. I would just love to get reacquainted with her again," the second one said. The first one smiled and looked back at the third man.

"When do we take action?" He asked again. The third one just watched the tree figures in the house across the street move into a different room and out of sight.

'''

Hours later, Kaoru, Kayko, and Kenshin were sitting in the living room, silent. Kaoru was sitting on the floor, somewhat facing the couch, her phone in her lap. Kayko was sitting across from her and Kenshin was on the couch in the middle of the two of them.

"Kaoru you need to call her. She's probably worried sick," Kayko said. Kaoru looked at her, then down at her phone.

"Kayko's right, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said quietly. Kaoru sighed and picked up her phone. She saw that she had 87 missed calls. _'Damn Megumi…'_ Kaoru thought. She dialed in the number and placed the phone to her ear. It only made it halfway through the first ring.

_"Omg Kaoru! Thank goodness! You gave me a heart attack when you didn't come back last night? Where are you? Are you ok? Oh I'm so sorry Kaoru I should have never brought up the conversation!" _Megumi said panicky over the phone.

"Megumi calm down. I'm fine. I'm over at Kenshin's with him and Kayko," Kaoru said, trying to calm her down. She heard the woman on the other line go quiet.

_"Kenshin's?" _Megumi asked.

"Yeah," said Kaoru. "After our…um…disagreement, I called him and he came and got me." Kaoru told Megumi about the whole gang incident. Megumi was silent for several minutes. Kaoru began to bite her lip in anticipation. When Megumi finally spoke, her words surprised the worried girl.

_"Kaoru…If…. you are ready to leave, we will pack tonight, and leave tomorrow morning…"_ Megumi said quietly, so quiet that Kaoru had barely caught it. Kaoru blinked in shock. Megumi was suggesting leaving? Kaoru frowned light. She knew how much Megumi liked it here, but taking the offer was very tempting. Kaoru wasn't ready to settle down in a place. She was still too afraid.

"I wanna stay a little longer," Kaoru said quietly. Megumi went silent over the connection once again.

_"You…want to stay?"_ Megumi asked quietly after a while. Kaoru bit her lower lip.

"Well I don't mean for good. I just don't want to leave yet." Kayko and Kenshin smiled in the background. Kaoru could tell Megumi was smiling.

_"That's completely fine with me, Kaoru. Whatever you wanna do,"_ she said. Kaoru smiled.

"Thanks Megumi. I'll call you later," Kaoru told her.

_"Alright. Stay safe," _Megumi told her. Kaoru smiled.

"I will. Promise." With that she hung up the phone and turned and looked at the other two. Kayko seemed to be thinking and Kenshin was watching her silently. Out of nowhere, before Kaoru could even register what was happening, a big yellow ball of fur tackled her to the floor. She let out yelp and fell flat on her back. She heard Kayko gasp as she sat up. Kaoru rubbed her head a bit and looked to see what had tackled her. She blinked when she found herself nose to nose with a golden retriever.

"Buddy!" Kenshin screamed. "Bad dog!" Buddy wagged his tail and started to lick Kaoru's face all over. Kaoru laughed and started to pet him.

"Awww hello there! Aren't you a cutie?" Kaoru cooed, rubbing her nose against Buddy's. Buddy's tail wagged even more and he barked happily. Kenshin smiled as he watched the two of them. Kayko got up and walked over.

"Down Buddy let her breath," Kayko said, giggling. Buddy barked and got off Kaoru, running over to Kenshin and jumping up. Kenshin smiled and pat him lightly, looking at Kaoru.

"Sorry about him. He loves people," he said as Kayko helped Kaoru back to her feet. Kaoru smiled at him.

"That's alright. I love animals and he's adorable," Kaoru said smiling big as she scratched behind Buddy's ears. "I didn't know you have a dog." Kenshin smiled.

"He likes to run off. Most of the time he is out bugging Sano." Buddy barked and Kaoru giggled.

"He's adorable. Well I think I'm going to call Megumi back and ask her to come get me. I'ma go change clothes at the hotel and relax a bit," Kaoru said, looking at Kenshin and Kayko. The two nodded and watched as Kaoru walked out of the room to call Megumi. Once she was out of sight, Kayko turned and looked at Kenshin.

"Alright spill, what's up?" Kenshin looked at her and blinked.

"What?" He asked. Kayko rolled her eyes.

"Don't play dumb. I know you better then anyone, other then Hiko. Something happened last night." Kayko crossed her arms. Kenshin sighed.

"Yes something did." Kayko gasped.

"You two didn't…" Kenshin looked at her with wide eyes.

"No nothing inmate Kayko. She had a nightmare, that she did." Kayko blinked.

"She…she had a nightmare?" Kayko repeated. Kenshin nodded.

"Yes. It wasn't like any other nightmare. It…was like the ones that you have had when you were younger," he said. Kayko stared at him.

"The…the ones like mine?" Kenshin nodded. "But…" Kayko stopped has Kenshin put his hand up. Soon after Kaoru came back into the room. She walked over to them.

"She's going to be here in a few minutes." Kayko smiled at her.

"After you've relaxed at your hotel for a bit, you want to come to my house and hang out a bit? It will be fun," Kayko said smiling bigger. Kaoru smiled back and nodded.

"Sure why not." Kaoru held out her phone. "Put your number in, I haven't gotten it yet. Kayko smiled and handed Kaoru hers. They put their numbers in the others phones and swapped back. Shortly after, the horn of a car was heard, signaling Megumi's arrive. "That's Megumi. I'll see you guys later." Kaoru waved as she walked out the door. Kenshin smiled and Kayko waved back. Kaoru shut the door behind her and walked over to the car. Megumi smiled at her.

"Have a fun night?" She asked as Kaoru go in the passenger's seat. Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

"It's not like anything happened. He was a very good gentleman," She replied. Megumi rolled her eyes, smiling as she drove back to the hotel.

"How much longer do you want to stay?" Megumi asked. Kaoru smiled.

"I don't know. I didn't really think about how long I wanted to stay. I just don't want to leave in a week or so. I like it to much here." Megumi smiled.

"I do, too. The people here are nice, you have made plenty of friends," Megumi said, looking at her. Kaoru smiled. "Got yourself a crush too." Kaoru looked at her as Megumi turned her eyes back to the road.

"I don't have a crush," she lied. Megumi snorted and looked at her for a split second before looking back at the road.

"Sure. You can't lie to me Kaoru." Kaoru rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Alright, maybe a little bit of a crush, but that's all it is. I still barley know the guy." Megumi nodded.

"There for you should get to know him," Megumi retorted. Kaoru blushed slightly.

'''

Shortly after Kaoru leaving, Kayko found herself sitting by Kenshin's pool, deep in thought. Kenshin walked out and sat next to her, watching her legs kick back and forth in the water. They sat in silence for several minutes. Finally Kenshin turned his head to look at her.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, breaking the silence. Kayko stopped moving her legs, continuing to stare at the water. Kenshin placed his hand on her shoulder when she didn't respond. "Kayko?" She turned her head slowly and looked at him, her eyes showing no emotion. "What are you thinking about?" He repeated. She turned her head to look at the water again.

"You said she had a nightmare…. Like how I use to have them…" She finally answered. Kenshin nodded his head. "That scares me…" she spoke again, gaining a confused look by the man sitting next to her.

"Why is that?" He asked. Kayko turned and looked at him again, her eyes not completely focusing on him.

"It just explains so much…why she doesn't want to stay here, why she travels so much…why she's afraid of men or freaks out when someone brings up her past. That's what I use to do before I moved on. Remember that?" Kenshin nodded his head. "Something happened to her…don't know what, but whatever it is, we need to show her she can trust us. We can't let her go through what I did." Kenshin took her hand lightly, holding it between his.

"Kayko what happened to you was a long time ago. It's in the past…" He said, trying to sooth his friend. When she finally focused her eyes completely on him, they hardened.

"You can't just forget being beaten by your father, Kenshin." She snapped. The young man sighed.

"I never said you could. I'm saying that what happened was in the past and you shouldn't worry about it." Kayko snatched her hand away and looked back at the water.

"The past can come back to haunt you. You should know that from experience," she said, her voice hard. Shortly after saying, she regretted it. Sighing she turned to look at the man who had saved her through so much. "I'm sorry Kenshin. I shouldn't have said that, it was out of line." Kenshin didn't speak. He stood up and looked at her.

"You should not take your anger or frustration out on others, Kayko," he said quietly. Kayko nodded and got up slowly. "Everyone has a past they do not wish to think about or that they are afraid of. One must learn to get over that fear, even if you will never forget." Kayko placed her hands on her hips.

"I have gotten over it!" She yelled. Kenshin just stared at her.

"Have you?" He said, still speaking above a whisper. Hard green eyes locked with soft violet ones. Suddenly Kayko felt like she was a little girl all over again. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, holding back tears.

"I've been having nightmares recently. The ones I use to have," the young girl confessed. Kenshin stayed silent for a moment before speaking.

"Have you told Hiko?" Kayko shook her head.

"I'm afraid to…"

"Why?" He asked. Kayko opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I want to believe that everything is alright…prove that I'm not afraid." Kenshin didn't speak. Silence filled the air for several minutes. Still not speaking Kenshin opened his arms. Not a second later, Kayko bolted herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "What if they mean he's coming? What if he appears and takes me away? I can't go back with him, I just can't! He'll kill me!" She sobbed. Kenshin held her close and sighed.

"If he does return, you're fully protected. He will not take you, I promise." Kayko nodded and clung to him tighter, letting go of all the emotions from her recent nightmares into tears.

'''

Several weeks passed since Kaoru and Megumi had arrived at the small town. It seemed as though Kaoru couldn't bring herself to leave. Everyday she spent here; she grew closer and closer to the teens and the young man that lived there. In her hotel room, Kaoru sat on the bottom of the bathroom tub, thinking to herself as she let the hot water drench her. The past few weeks had been amazing for her. She spent almost every day with Kayko and Misao, whether it was shopping, hanging in the park or at the Akebeko, or just sitting in Kayko's room watching movies. On the days Misao was out of town and Kayko was with Sano, Kaoru spent her time at Kenshin's. Smiling lightly, she let her thoughts drift off to the violet-eyed man. She never thought she would meet a man like him. He was the exact opposite of what she though a man was. She thought all men were rude, greedy, disgusting, and all around pigs, but no. Kenshin was different. He was sweet, kind, caring, and a perfect gentleman. So lost in her thoughts, she jumped slightly when she heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Kaoru? Are you still in there?" She heard Megumi ask from the other side.

"Yes Megumi…" She said over the water. There was a small silence before the woman finally answered.

"I need to speak with you when you get out of the shower," she spoke. Kaoru blinked with confusion.

"Alright I'll be out in a moment," she said. There was no reply. Slowly getting up, Kaoru shut off the water, stepping out of the tub slowly. She grabbed one of the pure while hotel towels and wrapped it around herself. Grabbing her brush on the way out, she walked out into the hotel room, brushing the tangles from her hair. She stopped in mid step when she saw Megumi sitting on the bed, staring at the hands in her lap. Kaoru gulped lightly. She set her brush on one of the hotel desks before walking over to her bag to get clothes. "What's up?" She asked, getting dressed quickly. Megumi looked up and turned her head to her. Kaoru sat next her on the bed, fully dressed. "Are you okay?" She asked, getting slightly worried. Megumi smiled.

"I'm great," she giggled, "Um…Hiko…asked me to be his girlfriend." Kaoru squealed and hugged her.

"Megumi that's great! I'm so happy for you!" Megumi smiled and hugged back, before frowning.

"I'm glad you are happy, but I turned him down," she said quietly. Kaoru blinked, pulling away and looking at her.

"But…why?" Megumi put her hand on the young girls cheek.

"There would be no point. We aren't going to be here forever, Kao." Kaoru stared at her confused for a moment. Suddenly she understood. They would be leaving soon, so Megumi and Hiko couldn't be together. Kaoru stood up and walked over to the window, looking out. It was her fault. She was the reason Megumi said no. She suddenly felt horrible. "Do not blame yourself, Kao," Megumi spoke quietly. The girl didn't speak. Megumi sighed and looked at the wall. "We should pack up. We've been here a month and a half. If we pack now we can leave in the morning…" There was silence for several minutes.

"My birthday is next week," Kaoru spoke, making Megumi look at her. "I'd like to stay here for my birthday. After that we can talk about leaving." The woman smiled and nodded.

"Alright Kaoru, we'll do that." She got up and kissed the blue-eyed girl's forehead, before turning to the door and grabbing her keys. "I'm going to lunch with Hiko. Are you going to stay here?" She asked. Kaoru shook her head.

"No…Kenshin and I are supposed to hang out." Megumi smiled.

"Have fun and be safe. Call me around dinner." Kaoru stayed quiet, listening to Megumi open and close the hotel room door. Slowly, she crossed the room and picked up her phone, dialing Kenshin's number. Three rings passed before he answered.

"_Hello?"_ Smiling at his voice, Kaoru sat on one of the bed.

"Hey," she responded, "What are you doing?"

"_Working,"_ he answered. She could hear typing in the background. She frowned lightly.

"Aw dang, I was hoping to come over." Kenshin chuckled through the phone.

"_I'll pick you up in five minutes."_ Kaoru smiled.

"See you then," she said, before saying a quick bye and hanging up.

'''

"I'm bored."

"I'm sorry."

"Entertain me."

"I'm busy."

"I'm bored."

"That sucks."

"I'm bored."

"So I've heard." There was silence.

"I'm bored."

"Kayko Damnit!" Hiko said annoyed, looking at her. Kayko smiled innocently. "If you're so bored, go do something!" Kayko tapped her chin with her finger.

"Nah I wanted to spend time with my daddy!" She said, jumping into his lap. Hiko sighed in annoyance.

"I'm trying to get these work papers done before I meet up with Megumi. Go hang out with Sano or something, maybe the idiot. Or here's an idea, go hang out with Kaoru, you and her haven't hung out in a while." Kayko blinked. He was right; she hadn't hung out with Kaoru in a while. For the past few weeks she had been with Sano.

"You know old man, that's a great idea!" She said, jumping up to grab her phone. Hiko sighed in relief. Kayko skipped outside to her car, dialing Kaoru's number.

_"Hello?"_ Kaoru answered after the third ring. Kayko smiled, getting into her car.

"Hey! What are you up to?" She asked, starting the car up and pulling out of the driveway.

_"I'm at Kenshin's." _Kayko blinked, letting a sly smile creep onto her face.

"Are you now? What are you two doing?" She asked. Her friend snorted over the phone.

_"I know what went through your head, get your mind out of the gutter. I'm sitting watching him work. Not very exciting."_ Kayko heard Kenshin comment in the background, but didn't quite understand what he had said. She heard Kaoru giggle and smiled. _'Those two are so going to end up together,' _the brunette thought.

"Well tell Kenshin I'm heading over. I'm bored and I wanna hang out with you 'cause I haven't seen you in a few weeks." Kaoru giggled through the phone.

_"Sounds good. See you in a few." _Kayko smiled and hung up, driving towards Kenshin's house.

'''

Kaoru hung up her phone and looked at Kenshin, who was still typing away on his computer. She smiled, and got up, walking over to him. He looked up at her as she peered over his shoulder.

"What are you typing?" She asked. Kenshin smiled and looked at the screen.

"I'm working on the company finances. They are not fun, that they aren't," he answered. Kaoru giggled.

"They don't look fun." She turned and sat down on the desk next to the computer. Kenshin raised an eyebrow at her. "What?" She asked. "It's sturdy," she giggled, smiling at him. The young man chuckled, turning back to the computer. Kaoru smile faded as she thought back to her and Megumi's conversation earlier on that day. Kenshin sensed her sudden mood change and looked at her.

"Kaoru-dono? Are you alright?" He asked gently. Kaoru looked at him and smiled slightly.

"I'm leaving in two weeks," she answered. Kenshin frowned. Nervously, she looked at her hands in her lap. "My birthday is next week, after that I'm leaving."

"Hiko and Kayko will be sad you and Megumi-dono are leaving, that they will," he said quietly. Kaoru looked up at him.

"Megumi isn't coming with me…" she whispered. It was so low that Kenshin's ears barely picked up on it. He blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Kaoru gave a sad smile.

"Hiko asked Megumi to be his girlfriend, and she turned him down because of me. When I turn 18, I'll be old enough to take care of myself. I can leave and she won't have to come with me. She can stay here and be happy." Kenshin sighed and got up from his seat. Blue eyes followed him as he walked out of his office. Kaoru blinked before sliding off the desk and following after him. She found him in the kitchen making tea. Crossing her arms, she watched him move around the kitchen. "Kenshin?" He stopped and looked at her. Kaoru looked at him confused. Sighing, the young man made his way over to her.

"Have you spoken to Megumi about this?" Kaoru shook her head. "Do you think she will approve?" She shook her head again. Kenshin sighed. "Kaoru-dono, do you really want to leave?" Kaoru stared at him for a moment.

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

"Why are you so keen on leaving so soon?" Kaoru didn't answer. "You know you can stay, if you truly want to." Still there was silence. Kenshin sighed lightly and turned back to the water he was waiting to boil. He was on his way to grab two cups when he heard the teen speak.

"I'm afraid…" she answered. Kenshin stopped and turned to her. Kaoru had her head down, looking at her feet.

"Of what?" He asked. She didn't answer. Kenshin walked over to her, placing his hand under her chin and lifting her face up so she would look at him. Blue clashed with violet. "What are you afraid of?" He asked again quietly. Kaoru stared at him for a moment.

"I'm afraid…" she stopped. Both of them turned their heads to find Kayko looking at them from the kitchen door way. In a flash, Kenshin stepped back about a two feet. Kayko let a sly smile creep onto her face.

"Am I interrupting something?" She giggled.

"No." Kenshin and Kaoru answered at the same time. Kayko's smile grew more.

"Sure…" she said, giggling more. Kaoru blushed and scratched the back of her head. She glanced up at Kenshin, only to find him turning back to his tea. She sighed and looked at Kayko. Green eyes stared at her knowingly. Kaoru blinked.

"What?" She asked. Kayko giggled.

"Oh nothing…"

'''

The week passed by quickly. On Monday, Kaoru found herself sitting in Kayko's room, watching her pace around talking about a party she planned to throw her.

"We can do it at Kenshin's! He has a pool, a hot tub, and big house! It's perfect!" Kayko yelled.

"Kayko you don't…" Kayko cut her off, not listening.

"We can invite Sano, Yahiko, Misao, Tae, Tsubame! It'll be so much fun!"

"Kayko…"

"There can be games! Oh I can make steak!"

"Kayko…"

"And I can make you a big cake! Oh my goodness I'm so excited!"

"Kayko!" Kaoru yelled. Kayko blinked and turned her attention to the girl sitting on her bed. "I'm flattered and touched, but you don't need to do all that. I small dinner would be just fine," Kaoru told her. Kayko blinked.

"But that's no fun! I want your 18th birthday to be special!" She said, smiling at her. Letting out a small sigh, Kaoru nodded her head and gave in. Squealing loudly, Kayko went on with her party plans.

'''

Well that's the end of this chapter! Once again I'm really really REALLY am sorry for taking so long to update! I'm gonna try to get better! Review and I'll try to get the next chapter in about a week!

~Safrin~


	7. Party Planning

Hey everyone. Yeah I know, I lied when I said I'd get them up. I got side tracked, like hard core. I said I was going to try and be more on top of things with my stories and I haven't been. So for that I apologize. I think what I want to do is focus on one story and try to finish it out! After this one, I'm going to move onto my Inuyasha story. After that, my Harry Potter. I'm not sure if that's what I'm going to do officially, but it's what I'm thinking about. The main issue I'm having is my Harry Potter and this story I already know what I want and I already have the whole storyline planned. It's been so long since I've wrote my Inuyasha story, I completely forgot what the storyline was and I don't know what I could make out of what I have. So that's a little snag in the road I hit. Well here's the story! It took a long time for me to get it out, but hopefully it will be worth it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters, although I do own Kayko. She is a character that I based off on one of my closest friends. Hope you like it!

'''

The week seemed to have passed quickly. The soon to be birthday girl sat on a couch, watching her friends rush around the house, trying to prepare things for the next day. Kayko and Megumi had been cooking all day, Misao was decorating the whole house along with Sano and Yahiko, Kenshin had made about four trips to the grocery store, and Hiko had disappeared in the morning, hoping to get out of party planning. As for Kaoru, she barely left her spot of the couch. No matter how many times she tried to help, Kayko and Misao would make her sit back down, claiming that they had everything under control. It was really starting to annoy her. She sighed rubbed her eyes. Why did they have to throw a party anyway? Moving her hands off her face, she glanced up and saw Kenshin walking out of the kitchen, his car keys in his hand.

"Going to the store again?" She asked. Kenshin looked at her.

"Unfortunately," he answered. Kaoru giggled.

"At least you're getting out. I've sat in this spot almost all day." Kenshin chuckled.

"Something tells me you're not excited for this party, that you aren't," he said. Kaoru sighed.

"I'm not." Kenshin smiled slightly. "I'd prefer a quiet dinner."

"Quiet isn't exactly in Kayko's category," he said with a chuckle. Kaoru smiled.

"Can I come with you? To the store?" Kaoru gave him the puppy eyes. Kenshin chuckled again.

"Sure, Kaoru-dono." She squealed and jumped up, slipping on her shoes.

"Well then lets go. We mustn't waist time!" She said, looping her arm through his and pulling him out the door. Kenshin laughed and walked with her.

'''''

"Alright everyone get in here!" Kayko yelled from the kitchen. Megumi looked up from the cupcakes she was decorating. Misao walked in, Sano and Yahiko following in behind her. Kayko looked at everyone. "So the baking is almost done. The cake is done and I have almost everything I need for the steaks tomorrow." Sano and Yahiko smiled at one another at the mention of Kayko's steaks. "How's the decorating coming?" Kayko asked Misao.

"Everything is almost done. All is left is the game room downstairs since Kenshin said he doesn't want his living room trashed." Kayko smiled.

"Good everything is going according to plan HEY!" She yelled. Sano and Yahiko both froze, their hands inches away from the cupcakes. "Back off!"

"Aw come on Kayko. Just one?" Yahiko begged.

"Yeah we need to make sure that they are good," Sano insisted. Kayko raised an eyebrow.

"You really need to test my cooking?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips. The two guys looked at one another.

"She has a point," Yahiko says to Sano. Sano nodded and looked at Kayko.

"PLEASE?" They begged, giving her the puppy eyes. Kayko raised an eyebrow.

"Aw…no." Kayko pushed them out. Both boys grumbled and sat themselves on the couch. She rolled her eyes and looked at Misao. "I swear those two." Misao giggled.

"So where's Kaoru?" Misao asked, jumping on the counter.

"Last time I saw her she was in the living room," Kayko answered, helping Megumi with icing the cup cakes. Megumi smiled.

"You don't listen do you?" She said to the two teens. Both girls blinked at her. Megumi snickered. "She went to the store with Ken-san." Misao blinked, but Kayko smiled.

"Did she now?" She giggled. Megumi snickered more and went back to focusing on the cupcakes. Misao looked between the two of them confused.

"Wait I'm confused," she said looked between the two. Megumi snickered and looked at her.

"Kaoru has a slight crush on Ken-san." Misao giggled.

"Aw! That's so cute! Does Kenshin like her back?" Megumi shrugged and looked at Kayko, before looking back at Misao.

"I'm not sure," she replied. Kayko smiled.

"I'm sure he does," she said, causing the other two to look at her.

"How do you know?" Misao asked.

"I know Kenshin."

'''''

'Today has been an amazing day!' _A 13-year-old Kaoru thought as she walked down the sidewalk to her house. One good thing seemed to happen one right after the other. She had passed all of her exams with all As, found out she was one of the top 10% of her class, than it ended with her crush asking her to his end of the year party. So consumed in her thoughts she hadn't realized she was already home. Walking up the steps to her front door slowly, she stopped outside her front door. _'Please…please be in a good mood…or just don't be home…'_ she thought as she slowly opened the door. _

_ She stepped in the house and looked around, closing the door quietly behind her. "Dad?" She called out into the house. Getting no response, Kaoru dropped her bag by the stairs and walked into the living room. "Dad?" she called again when she saw the living room empty. Sighing lightly she picked up her bag and made her way up the stairs to her room. Tossing her bag by her computer desk, she made her way to her closet to pick out an outfit for the party. Shuffling through her closet for several minutes, she finally picked out dark blue jeans and a white tank with a light blue shirt to go over it. Looking herself over in the mirror, she smiled in satisfaction. Suddenly her smile dropped; she forgot about her arms. Moving over to her dresser, Kaoru pulled out her white, fingerless, arm guards and slipped them onto her arms. Smiling she moved to the bathroom to work on her hair._

_ A few hours later, Kaoru was walking down the sidewalk with her friend Naomi to the party._

_ "I'm so excited!" Naomi exclaimed, looking at Kaoru. Kaoru giggled and nodded her head in agreement. "I can't believe Enishi invited you to his party, and you're bringing me!" _

_ "I know! I didn't even think he knew I existed!" Both girls squealed and continued down the sidewalk. Finally the two arrived at the house. Kaoru could see kids from their class, as well as many older people, everywhere and could hear music booming. Turning her head and smiling at Naomi, the two walked into the house. Kaoru winced slightly at the loud music before taking in the sight of the house. The two girls mouths dropped open._

_ "This place is huge!" Naomi exclaimed over the music. Kaoru nodded her head in agreement. An hour or so passed and Kaoru sat alone on one of the many couches in the house. Naomi had disappeared long ago. Sighing to herself, she pulled out her cell to check the time. '_It's getting late,'_ she thought, _'Dad's not gonna be happy if I come really late.' _Sliding her phone back into her pocket, she felt the spot next to her on the couch sink in a little. Looking over, her eyes widen when she saw her crush, Enishi Yukishiro, sitting next to her smiling._

_ "Found you finally," he said. Kaoru blinked._

_ "You were looking for me?" She asked him. Enishi chuckled._

_ "Well yeah. I invited you, didn't I?" Kaoru smiled._

_ "Yes, but I didn't know it was because you wanted to talk to me or anything, I thought you were just saying I could come." Enishi chuckled._

_ "Nah, I've liked you for a while, but you're always so to yourself that I've never plucked up the courage to talk to you." Kaoru giggled. "Do you want something to drink?" He asked. She smiled and nodded her head. Smirking, Enishi got up and held his hand out to her. Kaoru smiled more and took his hand, letting him lead her to the kitchen. "Wait here," he told her, "I'm gonna get something from the garage." He walked out. Kaoru leaned against a part of the counter that wasn't occupied by someone. While she waited, she looked around the large kitchen. _'His parents must be rich,'_ she thought._

_ "Hey Kaoru!" She looked over and saw Naomi coming towards her with a cup in her hand._

_ "Hey where did you go?" Naomi hiccupped and giggled. Kaoru blinked at her. "Naomi have you been drinking?" Naomi giggled and nodded her head. Kaoru frowned and took the cup from her and sniffed it. Scrunching her nose lightly at the smell, she sat the cup aside. "Naomi you are way to young for that! Most of the kids here are!" Her friend waved her hand._

_ "Pipe down Kao…there are mooore then thirtheen year oolds and fourfteen year oolds here," she slurred. Kaoru sighed._

_ "You need to get home, Naomi. You're drunk." Kaoru tried to take her friends arm, but Naomi just scrunched up her face and backed up._

_ "Noooo, I'm fine. I wanna stay a little longer. What haff you been doing?" She asked her. Kaoru frowned more._

_ "I was talking to Enishi a few minutes ago, but he went to get me something to drink." Naomi smiled._

_ "What did you assssk him to get?" She slurred more. Kaoru opened her mouth again to convince her friend to go home, but stopped. Naomi had sort of made a point. She didn't tell Enishi what she wanted, he just walked off. Shaking her head slightly, she reached for her friend's arm again._

_ "Come on Naomi, you need to get home." Naomi shook her off again._

_ "Nooooo, I'm fine. Lemmie stay a wile longer!" Kaoru opened her mouth to protest when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head she looked to see Enishi holding a cup out to her._

_ "Here you are," he said. Kaoru took the cup and looked in it, before sniffing the sent lightly._

_ "I don't drink," she said, handing the cup of alcohol back to him. Enishi raised an eyebrow. _

_ "One cup isn't going to kill you, blue eyes." She sighed._

_ "You're parents allow you to drink and throw parties?" She asked. Enishi set the cup a side and leaned against the counter._

_ "My parents are dead," he replied. Kaoru gapped slightly._

_ "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said quietly. Enishi shrugged._

_ "It was a while back. To answer you question that I know you're going to ask, I live with my older sister, and yes she does let me have parties as long as they don't get out of hand. As for the drinking, what she doesn't know won't hurt her." He smiled and took a sip of his drink. Kaoru chewed on the inside of her cheek. He sighed and set his cup down. "Come on," he took her hand, "lets go somewhere and talk where it's more quiet." Kaoru smiled and held his hand as he led her off. The two made their way up the stairs and to the second floor. He led her a little ways down the hall and stopped, turning to look at her. "One moment," he said before leaving her there and walking off, disappearing around the corner of the hall._

_ "Okay," she replied quietly. Moving over to the wall, she began looking at all the photos. There were some on Enishi when he was young, some of a man and a women (who she is guessing are his parents), and her eyes stopped on a picture of a beautiful girl. Smiling slightly she looked around for more pictures of the girl. Moving a little further down the wall she found another, but in this picture the girl was older, in her teens. "Wow," she whispered to her self. The girl had long midnight black hair and piercing eyes._

_ "Tomoe," Enishi said behind her. Kaoru turned and looked at him, before looking at the picture. _

_ "You sister?" Enishi nodded. "She's beautiful."_

_ "I'll pass on the message," he said smiling._

_ "Where is she?" Kaoru asked, turning and looking at him._

_ "Her boyfriend's house," he answered, his eyes darkening slightly at the thought._

_ "Oh, but she knows that you're having a party." Enishi nodded. "And her being gone is the reason there's alcohol." He chuckled._

_ "Yeah. When she's home there isn't, but what's the harm in a little extra fun when she's not?" Kaoru rolled her eyes slightly. He chuckled. "Come one," he said, taking her hand once again and leading her down the hall. Turning the corner, he pulled her into the first door on the left. Kaoru looked around the room. The walls were a light gray, posters of cars, sports teams, and girls from magazines scattered here and there. His bed was a dark brown with a dark blue comforter and black sheets. On the far side of the wall was a bookshelf, a dark brown desk with a computer sat next to it. In the corner on the other side of the room was a dark brown dresser._

_ "Very masculine," she said, looking at him. Enishi chuckled and sat on the bed._

_ "Of course. And what does yours look like? Pink?" Kaoru giggled and shook her head, sitting next to him._

_ "No, actually, it's a light blue." Enishi chuckled._

_ "Still a chick color," he said. She laughed._

_ "Better than gray," she said giggling. Enishi chuckled and placed his hand behind her on the bed, leaning on it slightly._

_ "Are you having fun?" He asked her. Kaoru smiled._

_ "Maybe a little," she answered, smiling. Enishi smirked and leaned in closer to her._

_ "Wanna make it fun?" He asked her. Kaoru frowned and he leaned in closer. She turned her head before his lips connected with hers._

_ "I barely know you," she told him. Enishi shrugged._

_ "So?" He said, leaning in again. Kaoru got up and stepped back slightly._

_ "I'm not going to kiss a guy I barely know," she told him._

_ "Who said anything about just kissing?" Kaoru scoffed._

_ "I'm not going to fool around with a guy I barely know, let alone at the age of 13!" She exclaimed. Enishi rolled his eyes and got up._

_ "Come on Kaoru, I thought you liked me." Kaoru softened slightly._

_ "I do like you," she said quietly. Enishi moved towards her._

_ "Then show it," he said, pulling her to him. Kaoru scoffed and shoved him back. "Come on if you like me show it." Kaoru shook her head._

_ "Fuck off," she said, turning around and walking out. Enishi groaned in frustration and sat on his bed. Kaoru made her way down the hall and down the stairs. Looking around she began searching for Naomi. When she found her, she was passed out on one of the couched in the second living room. Sighing she walked over to her and shook her shoulder lightly. "Naomi?" Her friend opened her eyes and looked at her._

_ "Kao!" She giggled. Kaoru sighed and pulled her up._

_ "Come on," she said, putting Naomi's arm over her shoulders. "Lets get you home." Naomi muttered something, but made no move to get away. It took a while, but Kaoru finally got Naomi home. She explained to her mom what had happened and let her take her friend. She thanked Kaoru for bringing Naomi home and Kaoru headed to her own home. Pulling out her phone she checked the time again. It read 2:24. Sighing she put it back in her pocket. _'Dad's gonna kill me if he catches me sneaking in.'_ Arriving at her house, she quietly opened the door. Poking her head in and taking a quick peak around, she closed the door behind her and slowly made her way to the stairs._

_ "Kaoru," she heard a stern voice coming from the living room. Cursing lightly to herself, she stood tall and walked into the living room to face her fait._

''''

Kaoru groaned and opened her eyes, looking over at her phone. Kayko's ring tone was what had woken her up. Groaning again, the now 18 year old reached over and grabbed her phone. Pressing the answer call, she put it to her ear.

"Hello?" She answered, groggily.

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!_!" Kayko yelled through the phone. Kaoru groaned and held the phone away from her ear until Kayko finished singing. When she was sure she was done, she brought the phone back to her ear.

"Thanks," she said. Kayko giggled.

"_Rise and shine sleepy head! It's your birthday!_" Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"And as birthday girl, I wanna sleep," she said sitting up and looking around the room for Megumi.

"_No it's almost nine! So get up! And don't bother looking for Megumi, she's over here! I got a big day planned for you! The guys are gonna take you out to breakfast while Misao, Megumi, Hiko, and I finish up here at the house! Your party starts at 4:00! Until then the guys are keeping you out of the house so you don't see anything!_" Kaoru sighed.

"How am I suppose to dress?" She asked, standing up and making her way to the bathroom. Kayko clicked her tongue on the other line.

"_Party casual I guess! Like a nice shirt and some shorts with flip-flops!_" Kaoru pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Kayko do you really need to scream into the receiver?" Kayko paused for a moment.

"_Yes!_" She giggled. Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, what time am I being picked up?" She asked.

"_In thirty minutes I believe!" _Kaoru groaned.

"Couldn't you have given me more time?" Kayko giggled.

"_Sorry! I meant to wake you up at 8:30, but I've been so busy over here I lost track of time. Just hasten your usual getting ready time a little and you'll be alright! Gotta go! See ya!_" Kaoru heard the line go dead and sighed. Setting her phone on the bathroom counter, she looked herself over in the mirror. Running over what needed to be done in her head, she turned on the water for a quick shower.

'''''

20 minutes later, Kaoru was seated on the floor in front of a mirror, straightening her hair. She had taken a 10 to 13 minute shower before hopping out and throwing on dark blue jean shorts and plain blue shirt. Setting the Straightener down, she grabbed her makeup bag. She pulled out her eyeliner and lightly put it on before putting on a little mascara. Looking herself over in the mirror, she smiled slightly and got up.

_Knock Knock Knock! "Kaoru-dono?"_ Kaoru turned her head and looked at the door, then at the clock. She walked over to the door.

_Knock Knock Knock "Jou-chan come on! Don't take all day!" _ She rolled her eyes and opened the door. Sano blinked at her.

"Cool your jets rooster boy, I'm ready. I was waiting on you guys," she said. Yahiko looked at her clothes.

"I thought Kayko said party casual," he stated. Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah for the party, but we aren't going to that yet now are we, brat?" She stated. Yahiko glared at her.

"Hey now, ugly! Don't you get me started!"

"Alright lets get going! We got a big day a head of us!" Kenshin said stepping between the two. Everyone nodded their heads. Kaoru slipped on some white flip-flops and grabbed the room key before closing the door to the room behind her. Kenshin smiled.

"Alright lets get some grub!" Sano said, walking down the hall, Yahiko walking next to him. Kaoru rolled her eyes and started walking with Kenshin.

"Kaoru-dono." Kaoru turned her head and looked at him. "Happy 18th birthday," he said, smiling. Kaoru blushed slightly and smiled.

"Thank you, Kenshin," she said back. He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a light squeeze, then let go. Kaoru smiled even bigger.

"Come on slow pokes!" Yahiko yelled from the elevator.

"Yeah we're hungry!" Sano yelled. The two shook their heads and walked to the elevator.

''''

The red head rubbed his temples in annoyance. They had arrived at the Akebeko 30 minutes ago and since the car ride, Yahiko and Kaoru had been going at it, insult after insult. Sighing in frustration, Kenshin looked at the two, then at Sano. Sano seemed to be enjoying their bickering, considering he was wearing a smile on his face.

"Why don't you do something different with your hair then having it straight or in a pony tail? You're never going to get a mans attention that way." Yahiko said. Kaoru glared at him.

"I'm not looking to attract any men! Besides why do you care, you insensitive brat!" She snapped back. The young teen chuckled.

"I'm trying to help you, hag. Besides, you're ruining my image!" Everyone looked at him.

"You're image?" She repeated.

"Yes! I'm a very good-looking guy! It's hard to get girls when you're seen with an ugly raccoon lady all the time!" Kaoru's cheeked flushed with anger.

"Ugly raccoon lady! Are you kidding me?" She yelled, catching the attention of a few people in the café. Kenshin decided this was a good time to intervene.

"Alright you two," he said quietly, "That's enough, Yahiko it's Kaoru-dono's birthday today. You should be nicer to her that you should." Yahiko sighed.

"Yeah yeah. Her aging isn't gonna do much for her looks." Kaoru glared at him and opened her mouth to snap back, but Kenshin beat her to it.

"Yahiko that's enough," he said quietly, but firmly. Yahiko looked at him for a brief moment, before nodding his head. Kaoru blinked and looked at Kenshin. He had a glint in his eyes, and his violet eyes were slightly darker. Sano cleared his throat.

"Alright so," he started," Jou-chan, are you excited for your party?" Kaoru blinked and turned her attention to him.

"What? Oh the party. Yeah I suppose," she answered. Sano raised an eyebrow,

"Why only you suppose?" He asked. The 18 year old shrugged,

"I've never been a party person. I'm more of a quiet dinner," she answered. Sano chuckled.

"Well I'm sure you'll have fun." Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

"Me or you? I already told Kayko, no alcohol," she said with a smirk. Sano chuckled, holding his hands up in defense.

"Alright fair enough!" He said. Kaoru giggled.

''''

Well there you have it! I hope you liked it! I wanted to continue on, but I thought hey I've waited long enough to post it! So there you go! Review?


	8. Preview!

Hey everyone this is a preview for my next chapter!

''

Breakfast flew by in a breeze. Kaoru spent most of it laughing at almost all of Sano's jokes, sweet and polite conversations with Kenshin, and teasing Yahiko. Yahiko still continued to insult her, but his insults weren't as vulgar as they were before. Whatever look Kenshin had given him before must have really knocked him upside the head. Pushing his plate away, Sano leaned back and patted his belly.

"Man I am stuffed!" He exclaimed. Yahiko snorted.

"That's a first," he said, a small smirk crossing his face. Sano rolled his eyes and raised his middle finger at it. Yahiko glared. Kaoru giggled at their antics as she pulled her wallet out of her purse.

"Whoa whoa whoa there Jou-chan!" Sano said, holding his hand up. "What the hell made you think you were paying?" Kaoru blinked at him.

"Well I really don't mind…" She said quietly. "Besides, I'll feel bad if any of you pay for me." Yahiko snorted.

"Nonsense, Kaoru-dono," butted in Kenshin. "It's your birthday, that it is. You shouldn't need to pay." Kenshin pulled money out of his wallet and set it in the ticket holder to give to the waitress when she returned.

"Kenshin's right, Jou-chan. Birthday girl doesn't get to pay!" Sano smirked at her and pulled a couple bills from his pocket, setting it on the table. (A/N: I dunno if they pay with bills now days in Japan. I'm sort of winging it lol) Kaoru smiled at them in gratitude. After the waitress came by and picked up the check, the four of them made their way down the sidewalk of the small town.

"So," Kaoru started, "what else do you guys have planned for me before the party?" She asked. Sano looked at Kenshin as Yahiko shrugged his shoulders. Kenshin gave her a soft smile.

"Well we could go see a movie. Is there anything you'd like to see, Kaoru-dono?" He asked her. Kaoru crossed her arms for a moment in thought.

"I'm not really sure. What's out?" She asked, looking at the three of them.

"Paranormal Activity III is out," Sano said. Yahiko jumped up in excitement.

"Yeah! I've been wanting to see it!" He exclaimed, looking at Kaoru. "Come on Kaoru lets go see it!" Kaoru smiled at him. _'__I __think __that__'__s __the __first __the __kids __ever __said __my __name,__'_ she thought, smiling more.

"Sure, I don't mind," she said, looking over at Kenshin. He smiled back at her.

"I'm not much of a scary movie person, but I do not mind watching it that I don't." Sano and Yahiko let out a whoop of success and ran a head. Kaoru smiled and fell into step next to Kenshin.

"How scary do you think it'll be?" She asked, turning her head to look at the red head next to her. Kenshin shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure. The first two weren't that bad, but maybe this one would be better. Are you afraid of scary movies, Kaoru-dono?" He asked her, turning his head to look at her. Kaoru smiled lightly and shook her head.

"Nah, movies are movies, there for their mostly fake. My whole life was a horror movie, so some stupid movie that's not even real isn't going to scare me." Kenshin frowned lightly at the statement. _'__So __she __does __have __a __dark __past,__'_ he thought.

"Things must have been hard for you when you where younger," he said quietly. Kaoru blinked and looked at him confused, thinking back over the conversation. Realizing what she said before, her eyes widened slightly.

"Wh-What I meant was uh..." she stuttered, trying to find a way to cover up the little information of her past she had given out. Kenshin smiled and took her hand lightly.

"It's alright, Kaoru-dono. You do not need to explain, that you don't. Just talk whenever you are ready," he told her gently, letting a soft smile cross his features. The 18 year old blushed, his words shocking her slightly. Smiling softly back, she nodded her head. Just as he began to pull his hand away, Kaoru's gripped tightened slightly. Kenshin blinked at her slightly confused.

"I um…" she stuttered again, "I just want to hold your hand a little longer…" She admitted, the blush darkening. Kenshin smiled.

"I do not mind, Kaoru-dono, that I don't." Kaoru smiled and nodded,


End file.
